The Storm Within
by Gibrish
Summary: A distress signal from Fichina leads to what sounds like a fairly simple mission for the Star Fox team. However, Fox soon realizes that not everything is as simple as it seems when an encounter with a long-forgotten foe gives rise to new feelings deep within himself. An emotional lesson that sometimes the hardest storms to weather are the ones within your own mind. (Fox/Wolf)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The icy expanses of Fichina were now clearly visible through the porthole.

Every minute provided more and more surface detail as the Great Fox crept towards the frigid planet; just moments ago, the storm on the surface was but a white paint-drop on an icy, blue-gray canvas. But before he knew it, Fox McCloud was watching an intricate, swirling masterpiece. Whether this sudden change was due to the ship getting closer, or to turbulent weather patterns on the surface, he couldn't tell. Perhaps it was both.

Regardless, it meant he would soon be in the seat of his Arwing. From the little he had heard, this next mission sounded pretty typical - unidentified ships, missing cargo, distress signals - usually just pirates or thieves which his team had to scare off. But Fox sighed, knowing that sometimes missions like these only seemed simple from a distance, and close up they often ended up being as complicated and convoluted as the storm he was about to be thrown into.

The door slid open with a rush of air, and through the opening an agitated amphibian approached. "Fox! Are you almost ready? We've gotta be on the bridge by 11!" Slippy Toad was practically prancing up and down as he pointed to the alarm clock on the desk. _10:52_ , it read.

"I'm almost ready, Slippy. Give me 5 minutes and I'll be right out."

Slippy was skeptical. "All right. But this time if you say 5 minutes actually _mean_ 5 minutes."

Fox hinted at a smile. "...Fine. Give me 10 minutes then."

Slippy began to protest, pointing at the clock again. "But-but-"

"Don't worry, Slippy! I'll be there on time. I'll be there even earlier if you let me get ready. I'll meet you guys on the bridge." Slippy was silent. "In _seven_ minutes. Okay?"

The frog thought for a moment, then nodded as he calmed himself. "Okay. Alright. See you in seven minutes!" And he bounced back towards the bridge.

 _He can be such a handful sometimes_ , Fox thought to himself. Slippy and the rest of the crew were punctual to an extreme, never being a minute late for anything, especially not for mission briefing. Fox was no exception, though lately he had begun to slip.

He sighed as he latched his boots, zipped his vest, and took one last look in the mirror. His golden-brown fur was unruly, with a tuft sticking up by his ear, and his eyes didn't have their usual luster. He sighed again. If he were making a public appearance he would have certainly fixed his fur, but he didn't care nearly as much about how he looked for missions. As long as nobody could see him up close, he would be fine. With one last glance, Fox left his room and made his way towards the bridge.

* * *

What greeted him on the bridge was a table full of energetic Star Fox members. Several chairs, all occupied, surrounded a long table in the middle of the room, with Peppy Hare at the front. Countless buttons and dials adorned the outer walls, above which lay an uninterrupted band of windows; through these Fox could see Fichina's surface again, slowly coming closer and closer with every passing minute. A distinct buzz was in the air, and the entire team could feel that this next mission would be intriguing. Fox expressed guarded excitement; as much as he loved new missions, they could always get out of hand if he and his team weren't careful.

"All right, everybody! Listen up." Peppy stood at the front of the table. "General Pepper has some more detailed briefing for this mission." He pressed a few buttons on one of the wall-mounted consoles and a projector flickered to life. General Pepper's voice crunched through the room's speakers, accompanied by his blurry face.

"Greetings, Star Fox! We have a mission for you!" It was how the General always greeted Fox's team; apparently they _always_ had a mission. "As you have no doubt already heard, there have been recent distress calls over on Fichina. It seems there is missing cargo from on-site base 1MG-4Y, along with reports of unidentified ships. Typically this merely ends up being petty thievery. However, what's especially strange is that the only reported items missing have been rations, first aid kits and other essentials. In other words, no weapons or ammunitions of any kind."

Fox shared a look with Falco Lombardi, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. The bird spoke up. "No weapons, no ammunition? Just food? What kind of thieves steal _just food_?"

"Desperate ones." Krystal glanced at them both and spoke softly. "They must not be doing so well if they've resorted to stealing daily essentials."

General Pepper continued. "Your task is to seek these thieves out and neutralize them in whatever way possible. Whether it be to shoot them into oblivion or to simply force them to relocate, the decision is up to you. There is a lot of freedom within this mission, so I trust you all to make the right choices, according to whatever circumstances play out on the surface. Good luck, Star Fox. Pepper out." The projector turned off with a small _blip_ , and the room was silent for a moment before Falco spoke up.

"Is this for real? It's gonna be so easy! They couldn't possibly be a threat if they can't even manage to steal any _guns_ , for cryin' out loud."

"But they're stealthy enough to steal things without being caught," Krystal promptly replied. "Just because they don't steal more valuable goods doesn't mean they aren't skilled thieves."

Something wasn't adding up, but Fox couldn't quite put his finger on the issue. After some thought, he spoke up. "Let's not assume anything. Whatever we do, we'll just have to be careful - these thieves could end up being anyone, really."

His team began to discuss the mission at hand while Fox watched. Falco and Krystal debated, the former heatedly, the latter quite calmly. Slippy interjected with an occasional opinion here and there, and Peppy simply propped his elbows up on the table and listened to the debate, his chin perched upon his interlaced fingers. Fox took the moment to reflect on how fortunate he was to have such a diverse team; each member had their unique strengths, and when combined they formed a remarkable group. He began to relax as he concluded that, whatever came his way, he and his team would find a way to overcome it.

This mission would be over practically as soon as it began. He was sure of it.

The debate halted as the Great Fox suddenly entered the upper atmosphere of Fichina, the entire bridge illuminated by the pale light of clouds and snow. The team took this as a sign to stand up and leave for the bridge. Peppy approached one of the displays along the wall and pressed a few buttons. "Local time in our location: 11:20."

"Sounds like enough time to finish the mission before nightfall," Krystal said cheerily.

"Good to hear. I want to eat dinner in our warm dining hall."

Slippy chimed in. "Don't worry, Falco! It'll be a piece of cake."

Falco was quick to respond. "I think I _will_ have cake for dinner, now that you mention it." The others groaned in unison. Krystal jokingly slapped Falco as they all filed out of the bridge, their voices trailing off as they made their way down the hall to the hangar.

Fox was too busy studying the swirling storm through the window to notice his team leaving. The clouds began to part, and Fox could now see the surface clearly, many kilometers below. Fox was still as enthralled by takeoff and landing as he was all those years back, on his first mission. In fact, that first mission of his had also been here on Fichina in similar circumstances. A complaint had been filed about some petty thieves who would periodically harass the base. A simple "clean up job", as Falco liked to call it. The thieves, however, were merely some troublesome kids. Nobody was hurt, not even the kids, and the team was able to successfully talk them out of their delinquency. All things considered, it was a rather pitiful first mission.

 _But you've got to start somewhere, don't you?_

He was shaken out of his thoughts by Peppy's hand on his shoulder. "Still gotta watch takeoff and landing, eh? After all these years?"

Fox relaxed a bit and smiled. "Always."

"I don't blame you, Fox." There was a meaningful silence before he continued. "Well, you'd better get going. You've got a team waiting for you." With another pat on the shoulder, the old hare stood up and moved towards his chair, opening up the holographic mission layout display as he sat down. "Good luck, Fox."

Fox turned. "Thanks, Peppy. See you soon."

And with that promise, he left the bridge, his footsteps eventually taken over by the sound of the occasional beep from the display and the gentle hum of the engines.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Hey everybody! My name is Gerlacus (pronounced: jer-LACK-iss), and this is the beginning of my very first fanfic. I've always had a vague idea for a Star Fox plot line that I never truly started on until just recently, so here goes nothing.

My plan for the Author's Notes section at the end of every chapter is to highlight pertinent plot points, deliberate literary decisions, etc in order for me to clearly keep my thoughts in order and hopefully to help you guys better understand the inner workings of the story.

In this chapter I introduce a lot of devices that will continue on throughout the story, but I'll only touch upon a few here (and save the rest for future Author's Notes).

The first device is the idea of appearance versus reality, especially depending on the distance (literally or metaphorically) at which something is seen; In the opening scene I describe how Fox's perception of the surface of Fichina changed as the ship came closer. In the next paragraph I describe how some missions only seem simple from a distance, but "close up they often [end] up being as complicated as convoluted as the storm [Fox is] about to be thrown into". The goal of this symbol is to portray the importance of becoming "close" to important issues in order to reveal their true nature. Keep an eye out for this one, because I plan to use it a lot, especially while describing interactions between Fox and Wolf!

Slippy's character is generally accompanied by alliteration, giving a more childlike, innocent mood. This, along with his interactions with Fox (which often end up with Fox acting as somewhat of a babysitter), are my attempts to characterize Slippy as an emotionally simple being compared to the other characters, especially Fox and Wolf. This will hopefully come into play later, as I plan for Slippy's childlike attitude at some point to, if it makes sense, progress the plot in some significant way.

There is so much more that I want to talk about! Unfortunately, I'm worried I'll run out of interesting tidbits if I don't pace myself, so expect more in the future.

Oh! One last thing: I _cannot_ emphasize how much I appreciate any and all feedback. I am still a very inexperienced novice writer, so please let me know what you like, what you dislike, what you'd like to see in future chapters, anything at all really. I'll gratefully take in any criticisms in order to improve my writing. High hopes for the future!

Until next time,  
Gerlacus


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

By the time Fox had gotten to the hangar, the others had already entered their Arwings and were starting their engine warmup cycles. He approached his own ship - distinguishable by a long burn mark beneath the left wing, where Wolf O'Donnell had almost blasted it off during a dogfight.

Thinking of his old rival gave Fox an uneasy feeling. It had been years since that final battle on Venom; Wolf would always use one move - a type of corkscrew maneuver - against which Fox had never quite learned to defend himself. It didn't matter anymore, however, because Wolf was long gone. Fox still didn't know if he had killed the lupine in the end, and the uncertainty bothered him to this day. He could have easily removed the dark line across his ship, so many years later, but he never quite got around to doing it. Though strange, he actually liked the thought of preserving this last memory of his nemesis.

He hopped into the open cockpit and pulled down the hatch, the familiar silence of the vacuum-sealed cabin greeting him immediately. He buckled himself in and began to manipulate a complex sequence of buttons and dials. He thought back to that first mission, when he still had trouble remembering which buttons to press - and in what order - to begin standard startup procedures. Now, years of experience guided his hands across the controls in a familiar pattern.

As Fox turned on his comm he unknowingly stepped into a heated debate between Falco and Slippy.

"-would be crazy not to use a full loop to get behind them and have at 'em from there."

"Yeah but you can't do that in a _tunnel_ , Falco! If you were in a tunnel you'd hit the ceiling and crash your Arwing!"

"Maybe _you_ would, froggy."

"I'm sure you would too, bird-brain! Nobody can do a loop in such a small space. Barrel rolls are the only valid evasive maneuver."

"Barrel rolls, eh?" Peppy's voice came into the conversation.

The only things rolling were Fox's eyes as he listened to their bickering and continued his startup procedures. The displays had all come up and the engines had whirred to life; The Arwing was almost ready for takeoff.

"I have to agree with Slippy here, Falco. A loop would be impossible in a tunnel of that size."

"I swear I could do it! I'll prove it to you guys next time we're in a tunnel."

"And ruin a perfectly good Arwing? Certainly not, my feathered friend."

Krystal's voice silenced them. "We can continue this conversation later. Are we all ready for departure?"

"All systems nominal; clear for takeoff," Fox confirmed. One by one the others repeated his words in a familiar fashion.

The hare's voice came in last. "Alright everybody. We need to keep the Great Fox here as to keep our arrival secret." The large door in front of them began to rise dramatically, white light from outside slowly flooding the hangar as Peppy continued. "Base 1MG-4Y is seventy kilometers north of our current position. Let's go in there and neutralize these thieves as quickly as possible." He paused momentarily as the door came to a stop and the entire hangar was filled to the brim with brilliant, blinding sunlight.

"Good luck."

And with those words, the team departed. They left the hangar through the open door, one by one, as if the light of the snowy skies was beckoning them like moths to a streetlamp.

Despite Fox's years of experience with all types of spacecraft, nothing gave him the same thrill as piloting an Arwing did. Its speed and responsiveness couldn't be beaten, and by this point Fox was as comfortable using the blue and gray ship as he was using his own arms and legs. As the final member to leave, his Arwing floated out of the docking bay and glided towards the planet's icy surface, as if it were the last leaf of fall floating towards the snow of an early winter.

As they descended through the thick clouds, the comm crunched with Falco's voice. "Man, is Fichina always this windy?" Fox noticed it too; flurries of snow danced around his ship ominously, as if trying to summon a storm through ritual.

The team flew on as Falco and Slippy continued their debate between barrel rolls and loops. After about 30 seconds Fox decided he'd had enough and turned off the comm; after a few minutes of peace, his comm went off again. He let it ring for a few moments before answering in annoyance. "What is it?"

"Fox? ...Are you alright?" It was Krystal. "It's not like you to turn the comm off during a mission like this." Krystal had always been more perceptive of Fox's well-being than the others.

Fox responded reassuringly. "I'm fine. I just need a moment to regroup my thoughts without the constant background noise." The truth was that he _wasn't_ really fine. Inexplicable anxiety had been bothering him since he'd woken up that morning, but he couldn't quite put his finger on the issue, let alone explain it to Krystal.

If she didn't believe him, she didn't make it apparent. "Alright. Just making sure you're okay."

"Thanks, Krystal. I'll be joining back in once we get closer. Talk to you then." The comm was silent again. Fox decided to fly above the rest of his team and up through the clouds, using his radar to guide himself. Nothing could calm Fox better than a peaceful ride in his Arwing, free from distraction.

* * *

45 minutes into his relaxing flight, the base began to approach his position on the radar. He turned his comm back on, much sooner than he would have liked to, only to be warmly greeted by Falco.

"Welcome back, Fox. Enjoy your alone time up there?" He asked mockingly.

Fox responded in kind. "I did. Anything beats that loop-in-a-tunnel nonsense you two were going on about."

"See? Even Fox thinks doing a loop in a tunnel is ridiculous!" Slippy interjected.

"He never said that! Maybe it's nonsense because you think you should do a barrel roll."

Fox cut them off. "Ladies, please. You're _both_ pretty."

Falco and Slippy were both ready to dish out snarky responses before Krystal interrupted them. "Guys! I think I see the base."

Fox descended below the cloud cover, scouting the now-visible land below. Situated in a small valley to his right, he spotted a metal structure resembling a barracks. It stuck out of the horizon like a boat in a still lake, offering refuge from an otherwise unbroken landscape. She continued. "Following your lead."

"Alright, everybody." Fox took a deep breath. "Let's go."

He eased his Arwing towards the base, flipping some switches as he approached a comfortable speed. He held a button on his mouthpiece and began to speak. "Calling base 1MG-4Y, base 1MG-4Y. This is Fox McCloud, do you copy?"

A moment of silence passed, after which he received a response. "Fox? _The_ Fox McCloud?" Fox rolled his eyes. _It happens every time._ As the years went by, he wished more and more that people would stop giving him the attention that he truly didn't want at all.

The voice continued. "It's great to hear from you! Thank you for responding to our signal." The voice sounded like a young man, nervous but grateful.

"Not a problem," Fox responded as politely as he could. "Now, we heard these robberies were somewhat...unconventional."

"Yes, yes. It's the strangest thing," the young man continued. "they've come about twice a week for the last month or so. They take neither guns nor ammunition. All they take is food, and medical supplies, and other daily essentials." There was a pause. "In fact, they were just about to come back, but ended up turning around and leaving right before you all came."

Fox's ears perked. "Right before we came, you say?"

"Yes, yes. It was very strange. They've never changed their mind like that before." Fox felt uneasy as the man continued. "I wonder if...if they knew you were coming?"

The man's thoughts were interrupted by Falco's voice. "Uh...Guys? Guys! I see something."

"Where?"

"Up north! Look!" From above the valley's edge approached a lone black ship.

The man gasped, his voice suddenly hysterical. "There they are! That's them! Don't let them come back!"

As the man continued to stammer, another ship of equal size and shape followed the first one, as did two more. The four ships arranged themselves into a tight diamond as they approached the Arwings.

"What's the plan, Fox?" The frog's voice was full of tension. "D'you think they're gonna attack us?"

Falco was quick to comment. "Let's not wait around to find out."

Fox tried to calm the two. "Wait. Let's first try to establish a comm link with them. Maybe we can talk them out of whatever they're planning to d-" He was interrupted by a flash of red light streaking by, not three meters from his wing. The black ships had begun to attack.

"I don't think that's an option anymore!" Falco barked as the team scattered in an attempt to escape the lasers. Fox darted forward and flicked some switches, the wings of his Arwing folding into attack mode as he prepared for combat.

From then on, chaos ensued. Two of the black ships began to chase Falco, who in response began to fly in large, evasive circles. Krystal trailed one of Falco's pursuers, shaking them from their path through a series of blue laser shots. A red laser grazed Krystal's ship as her target unexpectedly turned and returned fire. She let out a yelp of surprise through the comm as she spun elusively. Immediately Fox was following Krystal's pursuer before the vulpine fired a few shots and dealt some damage himself. The enemy ship shook and spun, eventually regaining its trajectory but damaged nonetheless.

Falco was still being followed; the bird looped briskly, falling behind his pursuer before unleashing a barrage of blue lasers, of which only one actually connected. The shot ended up tearing off part of the black ship's upper wing. Upon further inspection, Fox noted that the ships were very similar to Arwings both in size and shape, though the wings and body were slightly longer and more narrow. Not only did the proportions give the ships a wasplike appearance, but it also made it difficult to successfuly hit them with the Arwings' laser cannons.

Once a laser found its target, however, it was apparent these waspy ships were significantly weaker than their own Arwings. Slippy cut in front of Fox, desperately trying to lose his pursuer, when Krystal intercepted the black ship, which lost much of its control after sustaining only two laser shots.

Fox's ship shook as a flash of red light streaked by, not a meter from his left wing; one of the two remaining ships was on his tail. He began navigating an eccentric and unpredictable line of flight, but his pursuer was following close behind, like an unwelcome guest. Stormy gusts of snow and wind ambushed Fox's Arwing from the front while flashes of red came from behind. He tried every evasive maneuver he could manage - zigzags, barrel rolls, loops - all to no avail. The black ship continued to plague his rear-view sensors. He wouldn't be able to shake him off without some backup.

"Slippy, help me get rid of this one!" Fox called into the comm.

The amphibian's voice wavered in response. "I'm trying! He just won't give up on you." Fox looked behind and saw that both Falco _and_ Slippy were trying to get the black ship off of his tail, but the pilot was expertly evading each and every blue laser which came his way.

 _This pilot sure is skilled, I'll give him that._

"See if you can both come at him from opposite sides. Then I'll try a double loop to get him in front."

"We'll do our best! Ready, Falco?"

"On your signal," the bird assured him as he assumed a position opposite his teamate.

"...now!"

The two Arwings began to fire from both sides, forcing their target to slam full throttle ahead amidst flashes of blue. Fox swiftly hoisted his ship upward, then let it float in free fall for a moment before swooping down to his original position. Their plan had worked; the black ship was now in front of them, dodging lasers with almost incomprehensible speed and agility.

Krystal's voice was on the line now. "I need help with this one!"

Fox was first to reply. "Krystal! What's your status?"

She gasped. "-I-I just got hit. It looks like my left laser cannon is out. These enemies are more skilled than we'd originally thought."

"Falco! Slippy! Go and help Krystal. Bring that one down, and I'll take care of this guy."

"Are you sure, pal?" Falco sounded surprised. "This one's caused you so much tr-"

"I've got it from here," Fox interrupted. "Now go help her!"

After a moment the two grudgingly obeyed. Fox hadn't had a challenge like this in years, and it was honestly quite thrilling. It was as if every time he thought he'd pinned his foe down, the pilot somehow knew exactly what to do to regain his advantage. But, after using every trick in the book, Fox had finally gotten the enemy in his sights and was about to lock on to his target.

What the pilot did next astonished Fox. The black ship turned as if it were about to make a hard left, to which Fox responded by aiming his Arwing accordingly. However, at the last second it ended up spiraling up above and behind, leading Fox right into the line of fire. He didn't even have time to comprehend what had happened until two flashes of red tore into his ship's right wing, spinning him twice around before his G-Diffuser distress system kicked in.

His ship abruptly jerked to a stop as the diffusers began the re-calibration process to account for the missing pieces of wing. He cursed his bad luck; it would be a full minute before he would be able to even move again at all, what with so much of his wing gone. Panic coursed through him as he realized there was no way he could win this fight now.

It seemed as if his enemy didn't expect Fox's sudden stop, and only narrowly avoided colliding with his Arwing from behind. In a swift change of fate, the enemy's evasive maneuver brought them straight into Fox's sights, and gave Fox the perfect opportunity to aim his remaining laser cannon at his enemy. He took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.

The laser collided with the enemy's ship with a spectacular flash of blue light and a blast which Fox could hear even through his cockpit. It was a direct hit.

The wasplike spacecraft did a full side spin before it began to lose altitude, the pilot desperately trying to regain control. However, it seemed the damage to his ship was too extensive to offer retreat; tendrils of flame and coils of smoke emanated from the engines as the doomed craft spiraled towards the ground, as if in slow motion. The ship slammed into the snow, tearing off another wing and bouncing once more before it slid headfirst into a nearby snowdrift.

Upon seeing their teammate's vehicle shot to the ground, the last black ship immediately ceased fire upon Krystal and began to flee as quickly as possible, climbing up and behind the valley wall. For a moment there was only stunned silence.

Falco was first to cut through it. "Whoo-ee! Man, that was _awesome_."

Slippy began to laugh. "Did you see that barrel roll I did?"

"I'm more interested in that fancy move your guy pulled on _you_ , Fox."

Now that he thought about it, Falco was right. It wasn't often that he was outsmarted by an enemy pilot, but today he was completely blindsided by the maneuver. He would have to figure out how to counteract it in future combat situations.

He pressed his hand to his mouthpiece. "Base 1MG-4Y, what's your status?"

The young man sounded breathless. "That was...we're okay. Oh my goodness." He took a deep breath. "That was terrifying. I can't believe that just...oh my goodness."

Fox cut in. "I don't think you'll be seeing those thieves for a while now. It seems they've learned their lesson."

The others began to discuss the mission cheerfully, but Fox's attention was drawn towards the black ship on the ground. The flames from the engine were now spreading to the rest of the spacecraft. He was surprised to see the hatch swing open, through which his enemy appeared. The pilot's dark green jumpsuit was torn all over, and his helmet had suffered some cracks along the front. He crawled out of the craft, flopping into the snow and staggering a few steps before collapsing once more. Fox watched him for a few moments, but the figure didn't make another move.

He wondered about this enemy; he was one of the most skilled pilots Fox had fought in years. He must have learned from the best of the best.

"Fox! Are you all right down there?" Peppy's voice was anxious over the comm.

"I'm fine. Some of our ships sustained considerable damage, though. I think you're going to have to come pick us up." He looked into the horizon, where the sun was beginning to sink dangerously low in the sky. Had the mission really taken so long?

"I'm just glad you all are okay. I'll begin navigation towards your position immediately. Those thieves won't be coming back, eh?"

"I doubt it," he responded. He looked towards the lifeless figure in the snow again. If Fichina's days were cold, its nights were truly fatal. He couldn't just leave the pilot there. That kind of talent didn't deserve to freeze to death in the middle of a snowstorm.

"Hey, Peppy."

"What is it?"

"I..." He wasn't sure how to explain the situation. "I shot one of the fighters to the ground. He's just lying here in the snow. I think...we should try to rescue him."

Peppy was silent for a moment. "Fox...you know how dangerous taking enemies in can be."

"I know, I know. I don't need to be reminded. But, this...it's different. This was the best pilot I've fought in years. I need to know who he is and how he became so skilled."

"Look, Fox-"

"You know what he pulled on me just now? A...it was like a roll, but with some sort of hairpin at the end. He completely blindsided me."

The hare wasn't quite convinced. "Regardless of how well he flew, do you really think it's worth the risk of going down to the surface to pick him up? Do you realize how dangerous it is to have an enemy aboard our ship?"

Fox was becoming impatient. "I'm telling you, this pilot showed more skill than I've encountered in years. _Years_ , Peppy. We can't just let that kind of talent go to waste. We need to get the Great Fox over here and take him in before it's too late."

Peppy paused for a moment, then let out a sigh. "Alright. ETA: 40 minutes." Another silence. "I just hope you know what you're getting into."

"There's nothing to worry about. I promise. Thanks, Peppy."

Fox began to ease his ship towards the wreckage, but the missing half of his wing rendered his Arwing's movements tedious and unpredictable. He didn't want to risk the extra weight of another passenger; he would need another ship.

"Hey guys," Fox addressed the rest of his team over the comm. "Could someone come give me a hand here?"

"Huh? Are you okay?" Slippy sounded surprised. Fox realized the frog had been preoccupied defending Krystal, and didn't see the enemy pilot escape his burning ship in the snow below.

" _I'm_ fine. That pilot that almost killed me, though? We're going to rescue him."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Chapter 2! This chapter was pretty fun to write because I haven't really written any action sequences before. To me they're difficult because I want to vividly describe everything that's going on, but I also need to be concise enough to hook the reader in the action without slowing them down, so there's definitely a balance between the two that I have yet to fully grasp. I tried to write the scene in such a way that the reader could conclude that, without his stroke of luck at the end, Fox would have almost definitely been shot down by the mystery pilot.

That whole debate about about looping in a tunnel was my attempt to give a little more life to the team and to help place their group dynamic. I mostly just wanted an excuse to reference Peppy's passion for barrel rolls. :-P

Krystal ends up being the one who reaches out to Fox to ask if he's okay; I was trying to set her apart from the others in terms of her attentiveness to Fox's emotions, which should be very important in the future.

Also, it absolutely _made my day_ when TheBigBadBacon told me he noticed that the name of the base on Fichina, 1MG-4Y, looks suspiciously like "IM GAY". I'm so glad somebody caught that! Great eye! It's...kind of foreshadowing, I guess?

Thanks again for reading! And as always, please let me know what you like and/or what I can improve upon!

-Gerlacus


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Slippy was first to protest Fox's proposition. "We're going to _rescue_ him? In this storm? There's no way we'll make it out alive!"

Fox waited for Falco to join in with his own disagreement. There was a brief pause before the bird spoke up. "I mean...well...honestly, that guy _did_ put up a surprisingly good fight. I can see why you wouldn't want him to die down there."

Fox was surprised that the bird agreed; he did his best to continue as if Falco's support was entirely expected. "Exactly. We need to find out where he learned those moves and make sure they can never be used against us again. Pilots like him could pose a serious threat to our team if we don't get them on our side."

The frog was obviously unconvinced, but tried his best not to worry about the proposed task. "But...well...alright. If you say so, I guess. I can't stop you."

Fox began to issue orders rapidly. "Krystal, keep watch over the valley in case the other enemy ships come back for round two. Slippy, go retrieve one of our temp wing replacements for my ship. Falco and I are going to retrieve the pilot." Without a moment's hesitation, Slippy left the valley to meet the Great Fox and Krystal began a wide patrol of the area as Falco and Fox began to descend.

Every second provided more and more detail as the two Arwings crept towards the powdery surface. Falco's ship had sustained no damage at all, while Fox was having trouble even just flying to his destination on the ground. They circled the wreckage as they descended - one gracefully and smoothly, the other decidedly less so - until they'd both touched upon the snow on opposite sides of the snowdrift.

Fox released a latch, and with a _hiss_ the glass dome pushed itself open, the frigid air of Fichina immediately clawing its way into the cockpit. Fox wrapped his scarf tight around his face before jumping to the ground below, letting the deep snow cushion his fall. He started to make his way towards the nearby wreckage, but the storm was unrelenting in its assault, biting at his face despite the protection his scarf offered. The waspy ship burned in the distance, the only light to shine in the darkening valley. If it weren't for the fiery beacon, glowing softly behind the dense snowstorm, he wouldn't have known which direction to go amidst the chaos.

Through the snow Falco slowly appeared from the other side of the fire, even more laboriously than Fox had. Slippy was right; the storm was quickly becoming an even more formidable foe than the pilot they were trying to rescue.

"Fox! What's our plan!?" Falco had to yell to be heard over the sound of the wind howling around them.

"My ship is too damaged for passengers! We need to carry him to yours!" Fox could barely even hear himself. The two of them made their way to the pilot, who lay face down in the snow. Though the flames nearby were a comforting refuge from the bitter cold of the storm, they were also a sobering reminder of the dangers that Fox and his team faced with every mission.

It was only after they'd hoisted the pilot over their shoulders that Fox realized just how badly his enemy had been hurt; the pure, white snow where the body had been was now painted with splashes of crimson. He was horrified to see that there were open wounds along the pilot's chest, and thick drops of blood had begun to drip out of the crack in his helmet.

With no time to lose, they began to make their way back to Falco's ship. An especially strong gust of wind nearly slammed them into the ground, but after regaining their balance they continued to trudge through the snow on their tedious journey. The ship couldn't have been more than 10 meters away, but it felt like an eternity had passed before they'd finally reached their destination.

Once they'd gotten to the Arwing, Falco let go of the pilot and hopped onto the wing of his ship. "Toss him up to me, Fox! I'll put him in the back seat!"

Fox tried to do as he was told, but the pilot was surprisingly heavy and much taller than he'd expected. After a few tries, and with some momentum, the vulpine finally swung the body high enough for Falco to grab him, and the bird struggled as he dragged him into the passenger seat. It was a pitiful excuse for a seat, nothing more than a small shelf behind the pilot, but in dire situations like these it made itself useful. Falco had to move his own seat forward to accommodate the pilot's unexpected height, and eventually the two were both strapped into their respective interior spaces.

After struggling to shut the hatch, Falco's voice crunched over the comm. "Alright. I'm gonna dock and take this guy to the med bay, pronto. I figure you're gonna try and dock too, right?"

"Not until I've got my wing back," Fox replied through his scarf as Falco's ship began to lift from the ground. "Slippy, where's that temp wing replacement?"

The frog's voice came through weakly. "I-I couldn't find one, Fox. We must have used them all after that mission on Aquas...I think you're go-g to have to wait until the storm blows over before flying yourself back up. Then we can head to Corneria to repair the wing."

Fox's stomach dropped. "Storms on Fichina last for days, even weeks! I don't think I can last that long, Slippy."

"Fox, you've got to. There's no way for us to g- any closer to the ground, not in these conditions. Even our comms have been having troub- -mmunicat- on - surface."

"What? Say that again?" Slippy's comm had begun to act up. Magnetic fluctuations were part of the reason Fichina was so unforgiving; not only did they amplify the strength and duration of storms, but they would frequently jam radars and, in extreme cases, block off wireless communication as well.

"- -o- - -i- - -..."

"Slippy? Can you hear me?" The frog didn't respond.

Fox watched as Falco's ship rose from the ground, struggling against the wind before eventually disappearing into the storm. If a fully functional ship was having trouble in these conditions, he couldn't imagine how poorly his own ship would perform. There was no way he could make it back to the Great Fox without a replacement wing.

"Can anybody hear me up there?"

The fire from his enemy's ship had begun to die. The sun had completely set by now, and darkness was all he could see for miles.

He realized he was shivering now. If he could just make it back to his ship, he could at least try to escape the vicious winds snarling at him from every direction. He began to retrace the footsteps he had just made, following them back towards the wreckage and the startlingly bloodied snow. It had never crossed his mind in the midst of the chaos, but with a sinking stomach Fox wondered if perhaps the pilot was already dead. Had this rescue mission been for nothing? He tried to rid his mind of the troubling thought and continued onward.

Wreckage was strewn about in a sizable radius around the enemy's ship. As Fox continued through the snow, the unusual shape of one of the wings caught his eye. He approached the rectangular piece, only to find that it wasn't a wing at all. As he picked up the scrap he realized it was actually a wooden plank, painted entirely black; on one end there were five loose nails, and the other end was connected to a sheet of metal by what appeared to be construction adhesive. The metal sheet looked to be harvested from an oil drum, perhaps flattened by hand with a blunt tool of some sort. It was no wonder the ship had been shot down so quickly, being composed almost entirely of junk and spare parts. Whoever this pilot was, he must have been creative, resourceful, and very, _very_ desperate.

 _As desperate as you, Fox?_

At that moment an idea began to formulate in the vulpine's head. He analyzed the wreckage of his enemy's ship in front of him, the right wing which had been entirely torn off. He studied the two flat scraps in his hand, about the same shape and size as the right wing.

As _his_ right wing.

Immediately he began to retrace his footprints towards his Arwing, stumbling through the snow in his haste. His enemy had proven that it was possible not only to fly a ship with wings made of miscellaneous scraps, but to fly it so well that he made himself the most skilled opponent Fox had fought in years. If that pilot could pull off such a remarkable feat, then Fox knew it was possible to escape the storm on his own.

By the time he reached his ship, every breath he took was a painful stab of ice in his throat. He studied the damage to his right wing carefully; the end was no more than a jagged stump, with bits of wire and metal rods reaching for a sorely missed tip.

In a race against the elements, he began to work as quickly as he could. He fumbled for his blaster with frozen fingers, shooting five orderly shots along the edge of his wing. As the metal glowed with the heat from his blaster, he lay the makeshift wing over the glowing segments, turned his pistol backwards in his hand, and began to hammer the nails into the softened metal with the handle of his gun.

He could no longer feel his fingers at all by the time he'd finished hammering the wing into place, returning his blaster to his holster with extreme difficulty. He tested the new wing with a gentle kick, and it felt surprisingly sturdy, considering the circumstances. The metal had quickly cooled around the nails and formed a strong bond; it was perhaps the only way the cold had helped him so far. Fox decided his ship was as ready to fly as it would ever be.

He scrambled into the cockpit and tried to close the hatch, but it wouldn't move. He pulled at it again, but it was frozen open. He heaved with all his strength, practically lifting himself off of his seat, and the glass dome eventually gave in with a harsh shatter of ice. He was showered by the broken pieces, one of them stinging across his cheek as a last act of defiance before falling to the floor of the interior. He brushed the rest of the ice off, fumbled with the latches for a moment and finally sealed the glass shut.

Ever since Fox was a kit, every time he entered an Arwing he always enjoyed the sudden silence of the cockpit as soon as he fastened the latches. He was more than surprised, then, when the air was still howling all around him despite the latches being securely fastened. It was then that he realized that what had shattered was not just ice, but _glass_ as well; the dome above him was now nothing more than a metal frame with sharp, taunting edges like sparkling thorns.

Cursing his bad luck, he brushed some snow off of the control panels and began startup procedures as best he could with his numb fingers, not even bothering with the seat belt - exposure to the elements had frozen the belt in place, and he didn't trust the dwindling strength in his hands to break the ice encasing the buckle. As he finished his rushed startup procedures, the engines stuttered for several heart-stopping seconds before they finally whirred to life, ridding themselves of the ice that had almost defeated them.

Fox took a moment to reflect upon the situation. He was stranded in the middle of a snowstorm, with no connection to the outside world, piloting a damaged ship without a wing, a windshield, a navigation system, or even a seat belt. He almost couldn't comprehend just how impossibly, life-threateningly unfortunate his circumstances were. The flight in which he was about to partake would be the ultimate test of his skills as a pilot.

With shaking hands and lifeless fingers, he increased the throttle gingerly. As soon as he had lifted not even a meter off the ground, the wind threatened to wrench his ship out of the sky. He counteracted the gust as quickly as possible, but the unfamiliarity of the new wing caused him to overcompensate as he lurched in the opposite direction.

A minute of pure terror ensued as Fox scrambled to regain his ship's balance above the ground, the winds around him trying desperately to pull him back down. If his ship were to be caught by a gust and land upside down in the snow...

 _No._ He wouldn't think of that right now. He couldn't afford to think of that right now. He needed to focus all of his energy on keeping his ship upright in the winds around him.

Through trial and error, he eventually began to grasp not only how to counteract the gusts of wind before they had a chance to disrupt his ship's balance, but to do so while compensating for his poor excuse for a right wing. His attention was split in a dozen directions as he focused on wrestling for control of his ship while the winds howled in his ears and the snow blew all around the cockpit. Without a second to spare, he painstakingly raised his ship higher and higher, meter by meter, until the snowy surface of the planet faded into nothingness.

For a moment nothing existed except Fox, his ship, and the storm surrounding him. The predator was circling its prey.

"-n't be s- -bou- -hat, F-." The sudden return of the comm startled Fox, and he almost lost his balance again. "But wh-t about the pilot? How do w- break the news to Fox?"

"Guys? Guys! Can you hear me?!" Fox shouted into his comm, anxious to finally communicate with his team again.

"Fox! Where are you? Are you okay?" It was Peppy.

There was no telling if the wireless communication would go out again, so Fox needed to be quick and concise. "I'm in my Arwing; I'm flying somewhere above the surface, but the winds are too strong and I can't fly any higher without serious risk of crashing. I need you guys to descend enough for me to safely dock."

Slippy squeaked in shock. " _What?!_ It's dangerous to fly your ship in these condi-"

"I am _well aware of that!_ " He snarled into the comm. "Get the damn ship down here and _help me out_ before these winds take me out of the sky, for god's sake!"

For a split second Slippy was stunned into silence. Fox couldn't remember the last time he'd lashed out at a teammate like that. He only ever lost his temper when he was truly convinced that he or his team were in a life or death situation. Given the circumstances, his words were more than justified.

Falco recognized the severity of the situation and broke the silence. "You all heard him! Peppy, lower the ship!" Fox yelped as an especially strong gust threatened his stability once more. The higher his ship flew, the more severe the conditions became. "You're out of your mind, Fox." Falco continued through the comm. "But we're gonna get you out of that storm. Hang in there, pal."

Fox couldn't even respond, his teeth gritted in pure concentration. The weather around him and the adrenaline inside him numbed his body and sharpened his reflexes. Through squinted eyes he began to search for the Great Fox's twin emergency lights in the darkness around him. Another gust of wind assaulted him, twisting his ship around as he fought for control once again. As soon as he'd stabilized, Fox took a deep breath and resumed his search, though it was nearly impossible to see anything through the snow-

 _There._

A dim, red glow directly ahead. With great difficulty, the vulpine eased his ship towards the beacon. He did his best to keep the red light in view through the shattered display as he and his ship battled against the elements.

As he approached, the lights became brighter and sharper, soon revealing the outline of the Great Fox. "Alright guys, I'm here! Open the docking bay!" Immediately the long door on the front of the ship began to raise itself. Never before had Fox been so relieved to see the landing strips in the docking bay, as if they were outstretched arms offering a welcoming embrace.

Docking had always been a tedious task, requiring precision to an extreme. If a pilot was too hasty in their docking procedure, or they didn't enter at the correct angle, they ran the risk of damaging their Arwing, the Great Fox, or both. It was every pilot's least favorite part of flying. The current circumstances only exacerbated the procedure; Fox was unable to afford the time to ensure a smooth, precise landing.

"Fox!" It was Peppy. "Have you docked?"

"I can't! These winds are too strong!" As Fox tried to enter the docking bay, he was forced to retreat from an unexpected gust which almost slammed his ship into the upper wall of the command ship. The vulpine growled in frustration as he realized the wind would be even more of a problem than he'd initially expected. "Peppy, can you stabilize the Great Fox any more?!"

"I've got the diffusers on full! I can't get her any more stable than this."

Fox attempted to enter two more times before angrily giving up, cursing the storm and his bad luck.

 _None of this would have happened if I hadn't tried to save that damn pilot!_

It was impossible to land when the wind affected his ship so much. A single gust would send his Arwing careening into the walls of the stoic Great Fox. If only his damaged G-diffusers could match the motion-dampening strength of those on board the larger ship, then neither ship would move enough for the wind to be problematic. There was no way his Arwing could dampen the wind's effects in its current state. However, if the Great Fox could just move with his _Arwing_ instead...

"Pep-!" Fox tried to call out just as his Arwing swayed dangerously. As soon as he'd regained control of his ship, he attempted to contact his teammate again. "Peppy! I want you to disable your G-diffusers."

"I...what? Are you insane!?"

"Just hear me out, alright?" Fox continued shakily. "My ship is getting tossed all around by the wind while the Great Fox is staying put like a rock. If you disable your diffusers, you'll let yourself move just as much as my own ship..."

"...and since they're moving at the same time, then compared to each other they'll be practically motionless." Peppy considered the idea for a moment. "...It sounds crazy, but I think we can pull it off. I'm disabling diffusers right- _whoa!_ "

The Great Fox immediately lurched backwards with the strong winds, and through the comm Fox could hear the surprised crew losing their balance in the now-turbulent ship. "Good thing we've got those magnetic fasteners to keep our ships from tumbling around in the hangars, eh?" He heard Falco remark through the comm.

Fox fought to keep his own balance as the Arwing twisted from the same gust, but as soon as he'd corrected himself he was surprised and relieved to find that, compared to the Great Fox, he was in the same spot as he'd been before the winds. His plan was working.

With no time to lose, Fox began to nudge his ship forward. As the distance between the two ships closed, the vulpine found that it became harder to counteract the erratic winds while still keeping steady with the Great Fox. The weather was almost too much for him to bear as he desperately squinted against the wind and snow. Fox took a moment to blink out some of the tears from his straining eyes, and an especially strong updraft caught him by surprise in the split second during which he was blind to his surroundings. He yelped in alarm, expecting the worst, but the moment without guidance ironically kept his ship in sync with the Great Fox's movements. It dawned on him that he needed to ignore his instinct to combat the storm so aggressively, and instead move with the ebb and flow of the winds around him in order to successfully board.

He took a deep breath before slowly loosening his grip on the controls. The vulpine hadn't realized how tightly he was holding on to the levers until he had to pry his aching knuckles off of them. The wind immediately took the opportunity to barrage the underside of his ship, and it took everything in him not to fall back onto his hard-learned instincts, instead letting the winds sway the ship as they pleased.

The Arwing advanced towards the dock at a rate which Fox considered far too fast for standard safety regulations. However, given the fact that he was already breaking at least a dozen of those in his current situation, he decided one more wasn't anything to worry about. With one final blast from the blizzard around him, Fox's Arwing launched through the doorway and into the docking station. The ship skipped once on the metal floor before making contact again with a screech. The turbulent wind patterns on Fichina continued to cause turbulence aboard the Great Fox, and the unrestrained Arwing continued to skid and turn freely within the hangar, surrounded by sparks and the sound of squealing metal. Fox's lack of seat belt was proving to be a larger issue than he'd initially expected; he was being tossed all around the cockpit of his turbulent ship. "Peppy!" Fox called desperately as his Arwing collided with the far wall of the hangar, his head slamming headfirst into the controls of his ship. He yelped in pain before calling out again, gripping his forehead in one hand and the back of his seat in the other. "Peppy! I'm in! Turn the G-diffusers on!"

Without a second's hesitation, the hare flicked a switch and reactivated the diffusers. The command ship groaned under the new stress on the engines before lurching itself to a standstill. Fox's Arwing slammed into the far wall once more, this time heaving itself from its upright position and launching the vulpine directly through the metal frame of the windshield.

The jagged thorns of glass lining the windshield immediately ripped through Fox's flight suit and lacerated his shoulder. He howled in pain, the shards slicing down his spine, as he tumbled through the open windshield and crumpled onto the floor of the hangar. He roared in pure agony as he landed on his injured back, overwhelmed by the sheer pain coursing throughout his entire body.

"Fox? Are you okay!? FOX!?" He could faintly hear Slippy's screaming from the speaker in his dislodged headset, resting beneath his twisted arm. The vulpine tried to call out for help, but he could only whimper brokenly in such a state of torture. He began to feel the frightening sensation of blood pooling up beneath his contorted limbs.

 _Is this what it feels like to die?_

With faltering eyes, as he lay sprawled upon the floor of the hangar, he looked up at his upturned ship one last time. He studied the shimmering remains of the windshield facing down towards him, now reddened with his blood. He examined the right wing, the black scraps, still held together his by his handiwork.

 _Is this what the pilot felt, too?_

Fox heard muffled shouting in the distance, but could not summon the willpower to turn his head to investigate the source of the noise. The last thing the vulpine gazed upon was the long burn mark beneath the left wing, left there so many years ago, before his vision failed him entirely and he descended into darkness.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Whoo-ee! This one was a little longer than usual, but took _way_ longer than I'd expected. I knew I wanted Fox to end up on the Great Fox in a severely compromised state, but I just didn't know _how_ to go about it.

Anyways! One of the more important parts of this chapter is my personification of the storm on Fichina. I frequently describe the winds as howling, biting, scratching, and so on; I'm trying to solidify this idea of a storm being something that Fox will have to fight against - this time on Fichina, in the future within himself - so pay attention to any more storm imagery!

Speaking of imagery, I tried to use heavy imagery in this chapter to convey a sense of desperation and high stakes in a very life-or-death situation. I really wanted readers to realize just how deadly Fox's situation was and perhaps make them slightly uncomfortable through mildly shocking descriptions. Let me know how I did, because I honestly can't tell if I overdid it or not...

Also, just a fun little thing I noticed: scientific research supports the notion that this chapter is, on average, 20% more exciting to read while listening to Fichina's theme from Star Fox: Assault. Go ahead. Try it. You're welcome.

Haha no but actually, thanks for waiting so long for this chapter; I'll try my best to release future updates more quickly! And as always, please let me know what you enjoyed, what I can improve upon, where you think the story will go next, where you WANT the story to go next...any feedback at all is greatly appreciated!

Until next time,  
-Gerlacus


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

 _Th-thump._

* * *

For a moment, there was nothing.

No sights, no sounds, no thoughts. No pain.

* * *

 _Th-thump._

* * *

For a moment, time was both a decade and a second. It was both an eternity and a blink of an eye. It was a childhood and a lifetime, disguised in a single beat of a heavy heart.

* * *

 _Th-thump._

* * *

For a moment, Fox found himself in an unfamiliar place. The skies were a deep and haunting violet, lingering over a dark ocean that spanned as far as the eye could see. He looked towards his feet, realizing he was floating atop the perfectly still water; the small boat in which he stood was the only refuge from an otherwise unbroken landscape.

* * *

 _Th-thump._

* * *

For a moment, he wondered where this strange sea was. He wondered how he'd gotten there, and he wondered where he was headed. However, such trivial details quikcly lost their importance when he realized the meaning behind this place. Something deep inside of him knew that he was trapped in a void within his mind - a place that could only truly be described as the blank space between life and death.

* * *

 _Th-thump._

* * *

For a moment, there was silence. Fox surveyed his surroundings more thoroughly; the endless, purple skies swirled above him menacingly. The waters lay in wait.

If it weren't for the tranquility, Fox wouldn't have heard the soft _plip_ behind him and turned around. If it weren't for the motionless sea, he wouldn't have seen the ripple emanating from the water not two meters from his boat. In any other circumstances, the single drop of rain that had plucked itself from the heavens would have been imperceptible. The ripple expanded in a perfect circle across the glassy surface, thriving for a moment before sinking back into the plane from which it was born.

* * *

 _Th-thump._

* * *

For a moment, there were no more disturbances. Fox looked up towards the skies; he flinched in surprise as another raindrop fell onto his nose. Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He peered into the water once more, wondering if he were being deceived; he could have sworn he'd seen dark shapes moving in the depths beneath the violet surface.

Dark gray clouds had formed in the distance and were now creeping towards him. A third raindrop fell. Soon after, a fourth. A Fifth. Sixth. Seventh, eighth, ninth. The drops became uncountable as thunder growled from afar.

* * *

 _Th-thump. Th-thump._

* * *

For a moment, there was no wind. Soon, however, the storm around Fox began to swirl more strongly. A breeze found its way to the boat - curious and inquisitive at first, but quickly becoming malicious as it gained strength. It was as if the very air was charged with an electric ferocity; Fox became vaguely aware of the fur on the back of his neck rising in anticipation. A bolt of lightning flashed in the distance, making the gray clouds flash silver for a moment before returning to their original deep gray.

* * *

 _Th-thump. Th-thump. Th-thump._

* * *

For a moment, Fox felt no fear. However, the clouds began to approach at an alarming rate, illuminated by another spike of lightning. Again, a dark shape could be seen weaving around beneath the boat; he felt a sinking feeling when something inside of him realized that, should he fall into the waters, he would surely drown by the hands of whatever was lurking in the depths. The storm was becoming more forceful, and an especially fierce blast of air threatened to push him over. A moment of pure terror ensued as Fox scrambled to regain his balance on the boat, the winds around him trying desperately to pull him under the waves. If the boat were to be caught by a gust and land upside down on the surface...

 _No._ He wouldn't think of that right now. He couldn't afford to think of that right now. He needed to focus all of his energy on keeping the boat upright in the winds around him.

The facade of silver clouds, white lightning, and purple skies assaulted his senses. He fell to his knees as he tried to keep himself upright against the violent waves rocking his ship back and forth. He desperately squinted in an attempt to see his surroundings against the wind and rain. By now the discord from the ever-increasing rainfall was almost deafening, the entire sea thrown into a tumultuous chaos by the rain and winds.

* * *

 _Th-thump. Th-thump. Th-thump. Th-thump._

* * *

For a moment nothing existed except Fox, the boat, and the storm surrounding him. The predator was circling its prey.

In that single moment, in that single consolidation of events, he had had enough. His circumstances had become too much for him to bear. He curled up onto the floor of the small vessel, shutting his eyes and covering his ears. He yelled out in anguish, in anger, in abdication. He cursed the monsoon around him. He cursed the situation he'd found himself in. _Why did it have to end up like this? Why must I, alone, be forced to weather this storm?_ If this were truly the realm between life and death - if surviving meant enduring the hurricane around him, and dying meant falling into the waters - he would sooner drown in the depths than deal with another moment of this cruel tempest.

A sudden clap of thunder exploded nearby, as if responding to his protestations. The sound resonated through Fox's bones, and its echo could be heard even above the storm. In fact, the storm's sounds were all but dwarfed in comparison to the thunder. As the rumbling rolled away from his ship, he noticed that the winds had begun to weaken and the rain had somewhat diminished.

* * *

 _Th-thump. Th-thump. Th-thump._

* * *

He hesitantly opened his eyes and peered above the edge of the boat. The waters had become calm once more, and the clouds began to pass over him; he had entered the eye of the storm.

At this point Fox realized his fur had been soaked from the rain. He cautiously got on all fours and shook himself out, careful not to lose his balance on the boat. No words could describe the relief he felt as he took a deep breath, stretched his aching body, and basked in the warmth of the sun. If he could just stay here forever...

He yawned and lay down in the boat, studying the beauty of the purple sky above him one last time. The walls of the eye surrounded him on all sides except upward; it was as if he were looking into a violet light at the end of a silvery-gray tunnel.

* * *

 _Th-thump. Th-thump._

* * *

He knew this peace couldn't last forever. He knew he should have been concerned about the return of the storm once he left the eye. Despite his better judgment, he was simply too relaxed to worry about the future. Whatever would come, would come; he realized that, if he could just bear the storm for long enough, there would always be beauty within it that wasn't readily apparent from the outside.

Wasn't it ironic, then, that it took so much anguish to bring Fox to this epiphany?

Another yawn escaped his mouth. He let his heavy eyelids fall as he began to doze off. Nothing existed except Fox, the boat, and the calm around him. He felt the fear within himself subside as the wind became nothing more than a placid breeze. There were no more disturbances as he drifted off to sleep. Right before he let himself fall into the silence, a small part of him wondered once more where this strange sea was, and why he had been brought to this unfamiliar place.

 _It was to teach you an important lesson, Fox._

His subconscious seemed to know more than his conscious self did, but he didn't have the energy to try to comprehend what it meant. As he let himself settle into a deep sleep, time once again lost its meaning. It was both a decade and a second. It was both an eternity and a blink of an eye. It was a childhood and a lifetime, disguised in a single beat of a heavy heart.

All sights, sounds, thoughts, and pain quietly left him as he entered the darkness, leaving the strange world the way he came into it.

And, for a moment, there was nothing.

* * *

 _Th-thump._

* * *

"I can't believe it."

A single voice broke the silence.

"No. This can't be happening."

Another anxious voice entered Fox's mind as he tried to acquaint himself with his surroundings. The bed on which he lay was cold and uncomfortably rigid.

"...severe hemorrhaging across his body, blood plasma deficiency, hypothermia..."

As soon as he opened his eyes he was assaulted by blinding light; he promptly shut them again, grimacing against the pain coursing through his head. It was as if every sound, every light - every heartbeat - was a violent hammer pounding against his skull. Gritting his teeth, he attempted to open his eyes once more, this time more cautiously. Through squinted eyes, he surveyed the ceiling above him; fluorescent lighting shone hotly upon him, surrounded by a blue-gray ceiling composed of rectangular sheets of metal.

"Oh my god, oh my god, just _look at him_ , oh my _god_..." Another panicked voice trembled in terror. Fox tried to shield his eyes from the light with his hand when he realized an IV tube was connected through the veins in his wrist.

"What are we going to do with him, then?"

"I...I don't know."

"I say we get rid of him."

He gulped. _Get...rid of me?_

"Are you insane, Falco? After all this trouble?"

"There's no use keeping him on board any longer than we have to."

 _What the hell is happening?_ He felt a frenzied panic begin to boil inside of him.

"What are the chances? Who would have thought it would end up like this?"

He tried to sit up and turn his head, a wave of unease emanating from his gut as he tried to comprehend their words.

"Man, Fox is _not_ going to-"

Fox yelped in agony as a sharp line of fire lashed across his injured back, pinning him to the table. His distress caught the attention of his team; as if on cue, they promptly ceased their discussion and approached his bed. He grasped at the bandaged shoulder beneath his medical gown in an attempt to dull the pain, and felt another wave of panic flow through him when he realized he could barely move his fingers.

"Fox! Thank _god_." Falco's head blocked the harsh light invading the vulpine's eyes and for a moment he could clearly see the panic in the avian's face.

"Guys...where am I? What's happening?"

The team was silent for a moment before Krystal spoke up. "You're in the medical bay. You were in terrible shape by the time we got to you. Though not nearly as bad as..." she gulped. "How are you feeling, Fox?"

He could barely put what he was feeling into words. His head was pounding, his fingers were numb, he was bruised all over, and the wound across his spine made his back feel like it would tear itself apart at any second, like a frayed wire drawn too tightly.

"I've been better," he uttered through gritted teeth. Krystal nodded somberly, a knowing expression on her face, before Falco chimed in.

"We're just glad you're alright, pal." The team nodded in agreement before the bird continued. "D'you think you can walk?"

Peppy was quick to dissent. "Uh, I don't think we should push him...after all, it's only been a few hours. Maybe we should wait and...uh...discuss _other matters_ at hand right n-"

"It's okay, Peppy." Fox cut him short. "My legs feel fine. Thank god nothing happened to them." Despite Fox's assurance, the hare was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of Fox leaving his bed. "Really guys, I feel fine. No need to worry about me."

The team shared uneasy looks with each other before Krystal hesitantly began to speak. "Fox..."

"What's got you all so worked up?" Confusion quickly became panic as his team remained silent. "Seriously, I said I'm fine." Not a single member dared to meet his eyes. "What is happening? Why the hell won't anyone tell me what's happening?"

"Fox...it's..." She took a deep breath. "It's the pilot."

The vulpine's stomach dropped as a tense silence ensued.

 _No._

"You're lying."

"Fox, I know you're not going to believe-"

"He can't be. Not after all that work to rescue him." A frenzied panic began to take hold of him.

"Wait, Fox, I don't think you understand-"

"No. I understand far too well. I understand that it was all for nothing." His panic quickly began to boil into anger.

"Please just stay calm and listen to-"

"Stay calm? _Stay calm?!_ " By now Fox was downright furious. "Here you all are, standing above me with no injuries at all, telling _me_ to stay calm about this damn pilot that _I_ risked my life for in that godforsaken storm?"

Falco tried to cut him off. "That's not what she m-"

"Even though all these injuries, all this pain, this torture, was for _nothing at all_ now that he's dead? And you're telling _me_ to calm down? I can't believe you'd say something like that! Next time let's see _you_ go down there and rescue someone who-"

"That's not what she meant!" Falco squawked, surprising Fox into silence long enough for him to take a look at the faces above him; the bird was livid, Peppy was exhausted, Krystal looked stunned, and Slippy simply seemed on the verge of tears. Falco took a deep breath to calm himself before repeating himself more softly. "That's not what she meant."

"Oh yeah? Well what the hell did she mean, then? Huh?"

"Fox," Krystal cut in. "He's not dead."

Another uneasy silence.

"What?" Anger quickly solidified into a deep confusion as a thousand questions begged to be answered. "What do you mean? What's wrong with him, then? Why are you so worried about-"

"I think...it's probably best if you see for yourself." Peppy spoke solemnly and in a low voice. A strange mix of apprehension and guarded curiosity slowly came over Fox as he nodded in agreement.

"...Alright. I think I'm good to walk. Help me up, please?" As he reached his arms up towards his teammates another twinge of pain burned across his wounded shoulder blades.

"Don't bend your arms or back too much," Krystal cautioned as she removed the IV from his wrist. "You don't want to tear out the stitches. This IV replaced most of the blood you lost in the hangar, but you're still not quite at optimal levels. Don't stand up too suddenly or you might feel lightheaded." The rest of the team slowly raised Fox off the bed and towards the floor below. Though the metal panels beneath the vulpine's bare feet were refreshingly cool to the touch, he immediately began to feel the blood leaving his head. Falco and Slippy held him securely by his arms, careful not to aggravate his wounds as the vulpine tried to combat the sudden vertigo that had overcome him.

"Deep breaths, pal."

"You got this, Fox."

His vision fading and his breath ragged, the vulpine took an uneasy step forward. He paused to take another breath. Then another step. Another breath. His entire body cried out in protest of his movements; his legs were sore and his injured back was burning hotter than ever. With every step, however, he gained more strength and more confidence, and eventually his vision and breathing began to return to normal as he made his way forward.

As soon as he'd regained his bearings, Fox studied the room once more. For such a large ship, the Great Fox's medical bay was surprisingly small, offering equipment and beds for only two patients at a time. The beds were in two distinct chambers separated by a sliding metal curtain; the far wall of Fox's chamber was adorned by a sink and some open cabinets full of medical supplies.

As they approached the metal curtain dividing the two rooms, Falco spoke up. "Yo Krystal, could you open this up for us?"

She nodded, moving ahead of the others silently. Her expression of deep concern caused Fox another wave of unease. What could possibly be so wrong that it could cause his entire team so much worry?

With trembling hands, Krystal hesitantly grasped the metal curtain and slowly began to draw it back.

The first thing Fox noticed was the array of cabinets on the far wall. Every single one of them was wide open; the vast majority were empty. Almost all of the medical equipment that was usually stored within them was apparently in use.

The second thing Fox noticed was the computer interface next to the bed. A narrow screen was measuring what seemed to be the pilot's pulse, body temperature, blood pressure and respiratory rate. A slow but steady beeping emanated from the large machine, an array of cables and tubes jutting out of the device from every direction.

The third thing Fox noticed was the pilot, lying unconscious on the bed. His right foot was wrapped in a cast, while numerous cables were connected through his arm. The gray fur across his exposed chest was stiff with dried blood and covered in bandages, and a large oxygen mask covered his white muzzle. The unconscious lupine seemed to have lost his left eye some time ago, the area over the socket long since healed over and scarred.

In that moment, Fox realized what his team had been so worried about.

On board the Great Fox was now an injured, crippled, incapacitated, but undeniably alive Wolf O'Donnell.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Well I'm sure the end of this chapter wasn't much of a surprise to you all, but I bet Fox and his team were pretty shocked about their new passenger...

This chapter is actually a very important experience for Fox. The paradoxical phrasing in the beginning (e.g. "time was both a decade and a second", "both an eternity and a blink of an eye," etc) was my attempt to create some confusion as to where Fox was (or how long he was there), as he himself would be feeling at the time. There are a number of references to previous chapters in this sequence - such as "refuge from an otherwise unbroken landscape" when his team first approaches base IMG-4Y, and "the predator was circling its prey" when he's trying to escape from Fichina - which prove that the purple sea and the storm are entirely in Fox's mind, formed as a result of his recent experiences/trauma.

The fact that Fox is on a boat in the "blank space between life and death" is a reference to the River Styx; in Greek Mythology this river formed the boundary between Earth and the Underworld, and the ferryman Charon would take you across the river into the underworld if you could pay the toll. If not, you would be stuck on the other side of the river forever. I always thought it was an interesting and eerie way to represent life and death, so I thought I'd throw the reference in there.

When Fox wakes up and hears his team talking about what to do with _him_ , he immediately thinks they're talking about himself even though they were actually talking about Wolf. I intentionally left the _him_ as ambiguous as possible to show how surprisingly similar the two characters' situations were.

Speaking of Fox and Wolf, the fact that they are separated by this metal curtain is a reference to the Iron Curtain (I really need to stop with these historical references, huh?). The Iron Curtain was the ideological conflict and physical boundary dividing the West from the East during the Cold War, much like the metal curtain on the Great Fox was dividing Wolf and Fox. Krystal removing this boundary is a symbol of her helping Fox take the first step towards approaching Wolf and eventually trying to understand him.

Oh! Also - I'd like you guys to keep the following in mind for future chapters...I describe the storm as a purple sea with gray clouds and white lightning. Why would Fox be struggling in a storm with such peculiar colors? (in his own head, mind you)? What do those colors remind you of? ;-)

As always, thank you guys so much for reading/reviewing/following. I'm having so much fun with this story and I can't wait to hear back from you all!

-Gerlacus


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

It took a moment for Fox to comprehend the situation he had gotten his team into.

With wide eyes, he clambered away from the table as quickly as his damaged body would allow. Falco and Slippy scrambled towards his spot on the floor where he was now hyperventilating.

"Fox!"

 _It can't be._

The vulpine was completely overcome with terror; his clenched stomach felt like it would implode upon itself. "Oh my god," he whispered.

A cacophony of clashing signals were assaulting his mind, some more reasonable than others. _Wolf should be dead. Kill him. Defend yourself. Kill him now. You're injured. You've made a terrible mistake. You don't want to hurt yourself any more. You're suffocating. He doesn't deserve to live. You are suffocating._

But above all else was one relentless message, roaring in his head, far louder than all the others.

 _What have you done?_

He shut his eyes and clamped his hands to his head in an attempt to silence the intrusive voices. Krystal knelt down in front of him; he was now in the far corner of the room, curled against the wall feebly. "Oh my god," he whispered again.

"Fox."

"Oh my god."

"Fox, I need you to calm down." At this point his entire head was buried in his arms.

"Oh my _god_."

"You are okay. Everything is okay." She spoke in a gentle, reassuring tone, articulating every word with care. Fox's breathing began to slow as she continued.

"He can't hurt us." She paused. "He can't hurt you."

Fox looked up through his arms, his eyes shining with emotion. "You don't know that. You don't know for sure."

"Just look at him." Fox could barely get himself to peer over Krystal's shoulder at the lupine on the bed. "His ankle, two of his ribs, and his wrist are all broken. He's got lacerations across his entire body, and he's still recovering from hypothermia and severe blood loss." Wolf's chest rose and fell - slowly but steadily- while the surrounding machines whirred and beeped as if in disapproval of his sorry state.

"Can't you see? It's a miracle he's even alive at all." The vulpine began to realize the truth of Krystal's words and nodded, his eyes falling back upon her as she continued. "There's no way anyone in his condition could ever lay a finger on any of us."

He nodded once more, his panic beginning to subside as his breathing slowly returned to normal. "You're right. He...he can't hurt us." Krystal's telepathy had always allowed her to figure out exactly what was bothering Fox and, as a result, to pinpoint exactly how to assuage his fears and calm his nerves. Ever since she'd joined the team Fox had always appreciated her support, but in the current situation he was especially grateful for her reassuring words and empathetic nature.

She smiled reassuringly as she gently took his hand in hers. "Are you able to stand up again?"

Fox paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. I'm alright now."

She turned towards Falco and Slippy, who had been awkwardly standing behind her since Fox had fallen to the floor. "Could you two help him into that seat over there?"

The two obliged, eager to be of use again. Falco held out his hand. "Ready, pal?"

Fox took a deep breath. "Yeah. Let's go." He gritted his teeth as his teammates hoisted him onto his feet and towards the other side of the room. With ragged breaths, he sank into the round seat as Peppy addressed the team.

"Alright, everybody. Clearly there are some topics at hand that require our immediate attention. I'm sure you are all feeling a wide variety of emotions towards recent events" - he briefly caught Fox's eye - "but I'm going to have to ask that you all remain calm while we discuss the... _unexpected_ situation we've found ourselves in." Slippy shifted uncomfortably as the hare continued. "Now that Fox is caught up to our current situation, let's cut to the chase: we need to decide what to do with Mr. O'Donnell immediately."

Falco spoke first, much to the surprise of nobody. "You all know I want nothing to do with Wolf. He's caused our team nothing but trouble." Krystal was about to speak up before the avian continued, cutting her off. "That scumbag is dangerous to keep on our ship. What if he kills us all in our sleep?"

"He won't," Krystal interjected. "He can't." Falco gave her an irritated look as she continued. "In his current state Wolf won't be hurting-"

"Falco's right!" Slippy piped up. "Why should we keep an enemy on board? That's crazy! What if he's only faking his injuries?"

Krystal blinked in surprise. "Slippy, have you ever tried to fake broken bones, lacerations, hypothermia, blood loss-"

"Yeah yeah, we get it. He looks pretty banged up, but the frog's got a point. Wolf's surprised us before and he'd easily do it again if he got the chance."

Her eyes widened. "Even after all this work Fox did to save him? You two just want to throw him back on Fichina? He'll die without our help!"

Peppy joined the conversation. "It would certainly make our jobs easier if we weren't burdened by him."

The bird spoke up again. "Ya see? We gotta keep our guard up, Krystal! And here you are saying we should keep him around? I can't believe it."

"I'm having a hard time believing you three want to just _dispose of him_ like he's some stray piece of rubbish!"

Fox watched the team's discussion turn bitter as tempers flared and words flew out like bullets. His immediate reaction to the possibility of Wolf being on board was, logically, to throw him off as well. Falco was right - O'Donnell was a menace who had only caused the team trouble ever since their first encounter with him all those years ago. To keep him nearby was a severe danger to everyone on board.

The vulpine studied Wolf, lying on the table: inert, powerless, and unaware of the frenzied feud around him actively deciding his fate. Wolf and Fox were the only two who lay silent amid the surrounding chaos. Even in his broken state, the lupine had an air of intensity and ferocity about him that intimidated Fox; it was almost as if he was grimacing, despite his state of unconsciousness. Thinking of how he might react to his situation after waking up sent a shiver down Fox's spine.

"After all this trouble to rescue him, wouldn't you want to get some answers from him?" Krystal's usually composed demeanor was about to falter against Falco's blind rage. "I can assure you, there is more to him than you-"

"What kinds of _answers_ are we talkin' about, huh?" The bird gestured in dismissal of Krystal's argument. "Why he hates our guts? Why he wants us all dead? There's clearly nothing we can gain from letting him stick around."

"You don't know that for sure!"

"And you do?!" Falco practically shouted the question at her. A tense silence crept in to fill the sudden absence of noise.

The bird's anger quickly subsided as he realized the obvious answer to his question. "Krystal?" he asked quietly. The psychic's hands were clenched into fists at her side; her eyes were focused laser-like on the floor beneath her feet, as if trying to burn a hole through the metal plating.

Falco questioned her again, before trailing off. "Krystal, are you telling me he's not gonna...?"

She spoke in a low voice. "I've been trying to tell you all along."

"Alright, look. All I'm saying is -"

" _I know what you're saying!_ " Falco was taken aback by her sudden volume as she continued. "I've known all along! You kept interrupting me to tell me about how much you hate his guts and how he's a threat to our team and how you want him dead but have you forgotten that I can _read your damn mind_ , Falco?! Of _course_ I know your side of the argument!" Her composure had broken entirely. "Maybe if you would just shut your beak and take a moment to listen to what others had to say for once, then maybe you'd actually learn a thing or two and you wouldn't be so quick to discount _Wolf's entire existence_!" The entire team was stunned into silence by her uncharacteristic outburst. As she left the room - visibly shaking, hands still balled into fists - she stopped for a moment, barely turning her head. "You're all heartless bastards." And without another word, she was gone.

Falco was at a loss for words, his beak hanging open limply for a moment before he regained his senses. "Oof." He took a deep breath, ruffling his feathers in an attempt to regain some dignity. "Man, I've never seen her that mad before."

Slippy nodded nervously. "Me neither! That was intense."

"And she really _still_ thinks we should keep Wolf around? I can't believe it!"

The two continued to voice their disapproval while Fox studied the victim of their discussion once more. Every time he saw the body upon the table he was overtaken by a subtle fear unlike any he'd known before. The lupine's physical state alone was enough to make Fox's stomach turn, but the mere fact that the figure in front of him was Wolf O'Donnell, the Wolf O'Donnel, was enough to twist his stomach into a fight-or-flight knot of adrenaline. At the moment there was nothing he wanted more than to be rid of the problematic pilot. He forced himself to stop, however, and evaluate the situation rationally. Tempers were running high, and Fox knew better than anyone how readily emotion could overpower logic in the wrong circumstances.

He watched the lupine's bloodied chest rise and fall as he processed the recent events. A strange mixture of pride and shame stirred inside of him as he realized he'd heroically risked his own life to have unknowingly saved that of his most dangerous foe. As much as he wanted to throw Wolf off the ship, however, he had to admit that Krystal did raise a valid point; if they were careful, he and his team could take advantage of the opportunity to get plenty of valuable information from Wolf before getting rid of him.

The bird turned his attention to Peppy. "Can we just kick him off already? Before he wakes up and tries to kill us all?"

"Let's leave him here on Fichina while we're still in orbit! Just looking at him gives me the heebie-jeebies."

Peppy addressed them like a babysitter would address an unruly child. "Now, now, settle down. If it were up to me I would do the same, but of course standard protocol still dictates that we must hold an official vote before we make any major decisions regarding our..." He frowned disapprovingly at Wolf. "...guest." His eyes moved to Fox, who by now had adopted a somewhat more upright position in his chair. "Fox, are you able to walk?"

"I'm starting to get my bearings, yeah."

"Good, good. Would you please go and retrieve Krystal so we can take a vote? I fear the rest of us may have..." - the hare twiddled his thumbs nervously - "...offended her." The others eyed each other awkwardly.

 _That's somewhat of an understatement, isn't it?_ Fox considered chewing them out for their behavior right then and there, but figured Krystal deserved to do it herself. "I'll go get her. Be right back." He rose from the chair, acutely aware of the worried focus of three pairs of eyes. He took a few cautionary steps, then as soon as he'd confirmed that he wouldn't faint, he picked up his pace and left the room in search of her.

* * *

As Fox walked down the narrow hallway he pondered where Krystal might have gone. Knowing her habits, his first instinct was to check her bedroom; he made his way towards the living quarters. He couldn't remember the last time he'd walked around the ship without wearing his pilot's boots - it was both refreshing and exciting to feel the cold, metallic floors against his bare feet as they guided him across the ship in a familiar fashion.

The Great Fox's living quarters consisted of a hall leading to six small bedrooms - three on each side of the hall, no doubt for the sake of architectural symmetry. The team of five had never needed the sixth room behind the last door on the left, but it certainly didn't hurt to have it around just in case.

As he approached the door to Krystal's room, he stopped at the sound of her sobbing from within. He didn't knock, nor did he ask for her to open the door. He simply waited silently until he heard a broken voice call from behind the metal porthole.

"Leave me alone, Fox."

He said nothing. Unlike a certain avian, Fox knew when to stop talking. Krystal didn't often read minds - she respected others' privacy as much as her own - but Fox knew she wouldn't be able to resist reading his as he stood outside her door. Without a word, he began to recall recent events. He recounted the sorry state of Wolf's ship on the surface of Fichina. He revisited the terror he felt as he returned from the surface of the planet in his own compromised ship. He remembered the excruciating pain of the glass windshield ripping through his back as he fell to the hangar floor, the confusion he felt upon waking in the med bay, the panic when his team was acting so strange about their guest, the mental breakdown he fell victim to upon discovering the identity of the pilot...

Fox shook his head to derail the harmful train of thought. Krystal's sobs had softened.

He began his thought process anew. He thought about how Krystal had assuaged his fears and calmed him. He thought back to the argument between her and the others in the med bay, and how maturely she handled the verbal assault for as long as she had; he thought about how appalled he was at the others' behavior. He stopped for a moment on the fact that, despite his initial objections, Krystal's argument had convinced him that it really was best to keep Wolf on board in order to-

He heard a faint gasp. Then, silence.

One.

Two.

Three.

F-

 _Shwoom._ The door swiftly left its place, revealing a clearly distressed Krystal. She eyed Fox with a surprised yet somber expression. He could see her puffy eyes shining even in the dim light of the hallway.

"You actually...agree with me?" She nearly whispered.

"I didn't at first," Fox clarified. "But once I'd gotten over myself, I...I realized you were right. We can't just leave Wolf out there - not in his current state, and not after all we've done to rescue him."

She sniffed, a ghost of a smile flickering across her face. "I didn't think I'd convinced anyone of anything in that room."

"Well you would've also convinced me that the others are indeed heartless bastards, but I already knew _that_." Krystal laughed as Fox resumed. "That said though, I know they'll come around if we try to convince them again. We've just got to be patient and persistent. Now come on." Fox took her hand and began to lead her back towards the med bay. "Let's go save Wolf."

Krystal smirked as she followed his lead. "Again, you mean?"

"...Oh. You know, you're right." Fox entertained the thought as they left the hall the way they came. "He owes me big-time."

* * *

The conversation in the med bay faltered as soon as Fox and Krystal returned. Upon sight of the two, Slippy and Falco immediately stood up from their chairs and offered them to the duo, as if on cue. Fox quietly thanked Slippy for his seat; Krystal said nothing to Falco.

"Alright, everybody. Let's make this quick." Peppy addressed the team in a tired voice. "All in favor of leaving Wolf on Fichina?"

Falco raised his hand immediately, followed by Slippy and Peppy. All eyes fell upon Fox as a tense moment of silence ensued. He sat calmly in his chair, watching the others attentively.

"...Fox?" The hare eyed him suspiciously. The vulpine returned eye contact, but his hand remained at his side. "Are you not...?"

"I think we should keep Wolf on board." Fox spoke calmly and clearly. Falco and Slippy were quick to protest.

"Are you crazy, pal?"

"What are you thinking, Fox?"

Peppy seemed surprised as well, an eyebrow raised inquisitively. "I certainly didn't expect this."

"Well it doesn't matter," Falco butted in. "The majority's voted to kick him off, anyway."

Peppy thought for a moment before he decided to lower his own hand, much to Falco's horror. "But Peppy! You can't possibly think-"

"I am voting for neither option until I hear Fox's side of the argument." Peppy gestured to the vulpine. "Why exactly do you want to keep Wolf on board?"

The vulpine reclined casually. "It's not really my argument, per se. I think you should be asking someone else instead." An awkward silence followed as the three were reminded of their behavior earlier. Peppy coughed once before speaking. "...Krystal...why do you believe we should keep Wolf on board?"

Expressionless, Krystal slowly stood from her chair. She deliberately eyed each one of them for a moment before she cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and chose her words carefully.

"The issue of whether to keep Wolf or to get rid of him is obviously important to everyone here. I have come to the conclusion that keeping him aboard the Great Fox is more beneficial to us in the long run than is abandoning him on Fichina."

Falco was about to protest but was silenced by a kick to his leg - delivered by Peppy. The bird exhaled sharply as Krystal continued.

"As a pilot, Wolf shows remarkable skill; I don't believe any one of us could take him on in a fair fight and live to fly another day. The only reason we've been able to beat him thus far is due to us having the clear advantage in every encounter." She looked at Fox, as if asking for assistance.

The vulpine stood and began to speak. "She's absolutely right. There's no way we could have beat Wolf yesterday if I didn't have you two" - he gestured towards Falco and Slippy - "running counter-fire from both sides while he chased me down. Not to mention that his ship was already in shambles from the get-go; his right wing consisted of literally a sheet of metal nailed by hand to a wooden plank. The fact that he could even fly such a ship in the first place, let alone fly well enough to require not one, not even two, but _three_ highly-skilled pilots to take him down? That's truly incredible. There's no other way to put it."

Falco and Slippy eyed each other as Krystal picked up where Fox left off. "None of us have ever seen a pilot exhibit such remarkable skill. For us to simply get rid of him, all moral issues aside, is downright foolish. Now, as for-"

Slippy tried to cut her off but Krystal fought back aggressively. " _-as for the safety issue_ that you were _just_ about to bring up, Slippy..." - the frog pursed his lips ashamedly - "...I agree with you all wholeheartedly; it is only fitting that such a skilled pilot would also be skilled in such areas as close-quarters combat and deception. Normally this would be a large concern of ours, but considering his current state of medical trauma, I highly doubt any of us could be taken by surprise." She lowered her head. "Frankly, it's a miracle he's even alive in the first place." Fox glanced over at Wolf; the lupine's bushy tail twitched absently.

"This brings me to my next point." She returned her eyes to the other teammates as she continued. "He really is barely alive. He would have been dead if not for Fox's determination and perseverance, and he will surely die without our help. To reject him now would be to reject Fox's hard work to rescue him." The information Fox had conveyed to her from the hallway earlier was enough for her to clearly and concisely construct the argument to the rest of the group, and it seemed to be working; Falco and Slippy had given up trying to interrupt her, and Peppy was clearly impressed by her highly rational approach to the situation.

"And obviously, we must take the future into account as well. How Wolf reacts to being on board the Great Fox - and his general attitude towards our team - will dictate any further action we take regarding his situation. If he is actively belligerent upon waking, then I will be forced to agree with you three and let him go without question. Whether this means stranding him on Fichina, or turning him in to the Cornerian government, I don't know. We can discuss it if we get to that point." She paused momentarily to let the point sink in. "However, if he doesn't prove himself to be of danger to us, I see no reason why we should be so quick to condemn him to an icy death on Fichina."

The entire team, Fox included, was tuned into her every word; she had them in the palm of her hand. With not a moment to lose, Krystal began to wrap up her argument.

"So, as a result of Fox risking his life out there, we now have the most skilled pilot any one of us has ever seen, safely aboard our ship, in such a state that he is unable to hurt any of us and is entirely under our control. We have come across an opportunity we may never encounter again and, considering the _incredibly_ fortunate circumstances by which we've found ourselves in this situation, it would do us well to make the most of it. That is why Fox and I believe we shouldn't throw Wolf off of the Great Fox." She calmly returned to her seat, head held high, as the room filled with a powerful silence. Neither Falco nor Slippy could bring themselves to look her in the eyes, and Peppy was deep in thought, no doubt processing her argument. Fox could not even begin to express how impressed he was; Krystal had singlehandedly combated the other teammates' stubbornness by presenting them with an argument that addressed every one of their concerns.

After another tense moment Peppy cleared his throat. "Alright ,everybody. All in favor of keeping Wolf O'Donnell on board for the foreseeable future?" Krystal and Fox confidently rose their hands, and Peppy eventually followed suit.

Falco was less than pleased. "But he's gonna kill us all!"

It was Peppy's turn to defend the lupine. "Did you not hear Krystal? He's barely even alive." He chuckled. "Even I could overpower him in conditions like these." Admittedly, Wolf had surprised them before, but never in such a state as he was in now. Regardless, Fox wouldn't let his guard down; after all the years of bad blood between the two, he wasn't sure if he even knew how.

Fearful and angry words were shared between Slippy and Falco - respectively - but the other three's hands remained in the air despite the protests. Eventually Peppy silenced the two.

"That's enough. We're all well aware that you two aren't satisfied with this outcome, but we need you to cooperate with the rest of the team. Wolf is to be permitted to stay on board the Great Fox with us until further notice." He turned to Fox, who nodded sharply in approval. "You are all dismissed."

Falco had never looked so furious; cursing, he stormed out of the room while Slippy followed suit, sniffling but otherwise silent. Once they'd left Peppy turned to Krystal and Fox once more.

"I'm sure they'll come around soon enough."

Fox sighed. "I sure hope you're right." Few things bothered Fox more than seeing his teammates upset, but he reassured himself that there was nothing to do at this point except let them get over themselves.

Peppy nodded, then yawned. "I'm too old for this. I need to go take a nap or something."

"It's been a long day," Fox reassured him. "You deserve all the rest you can get. Thanks for your help today, Peppy."

The hare smiled wearily. "Thank you both for showing rational thought, despite the recent emotional strife. I'm glad you two could talk some sense into me."

"No, no." Krystal was quick to speak up. "We should be thanking _you_ for giving us a chance to present our case. Thank you, Peppy." Her eyes fell upon the lupine on the bed. "We'll keep an eye on Wolf for now; you should really go and get some rest."

"Alright, if you say so." Peppy nodded somberly before turning to go. "Wake me if you two need help. Good night."

As the hare left the room, Fox blinked in surprise. "Night? How long was I out?"

"Only a few hours." Krystal checked her wrist comm and yawned. _03:16_. "Maybe Peppy had the right idea. I'm about to fall asleep here, too."

"You should go ahead and get some rest yourself, Krystal." Fox urged softly.

"But we need to watch-"

"I'll stay here and keep an eye on him," Fox cut her off. "Besides, I...I could use some time alone to process what's happened."

She paused momentarily, her eyebrows raised in concern, before giving in. "All right, if you say so." They both studied Wolf for a moment before Krystal continued. "I'm thinking it might be a good idea to tie him down before he wakes up."

Fox turned to her, mildly surprised. "But you said-"

"It's highly unlikely that he'll try to do anything to hurt us, but it's not out of the picture." She turned to Fox. "Falco and Slippy certainly weren't wrong to be concerned about our safety."

Fox nodded. "You're right. If he isn't hostile then we can consider untying him, but..." He looked back towards the dormant lupine. "...better safe than sorry."

Krystal nodded back. "Be careful, Fox." She patted his uninjured shoulder reassuringly. "I'll see you in the morning." She eyed the lupine one more time before she turned and left.

Fox took a deep breath and clasped his hands together, ready to get to work, but he promptly realized he had no idea how to tie Wolf down. He searched the room briefly for something to use; conveniently enough, the bed had leather buckles built in along all sides, no doubt for this exact purpose.

As he cautiously approached the bed, he began to feel his stomach twist again. Even in Wolf's state his grizzly expression still managed to put Fox on edge. The vulpine reached out for one of the black strips, keeping as far from his nemesis as possible, and unbuckled it clumsily with fingers that had yet to regain their full range of movement. As he picked up Wolf's wrist it twitched absently, causing Fox to jump back in alarm. Flooded with adrenaline, he held his defensive position as the medical equipment whirred and beeped prominently against what would otherwise be tense silence.

Breathing heavily, he desperately tried to calm himself. Being so close to his nemesis was terrifying; years of bad blood between them had taught Fox that at any moment Wolf would jump off the bed and attack him, as if he'd actually been awake the whole time. It took every ounce of self-control not to give into his survival instincts and flee the scene.

 _I could call Krystal over. Maybe she could strap him down for me._

As soon as the thought had entered his head he dismissed it.

 _No, no. She needs to sleep. I'm just overreacting._

 _No you aren't. He's your most formidable foe. Of course you're freaking out. Call her over._

 _That may be true, but he's critically injured. There's no way he could hurt me right now._

 _Regardless, he's still causing you emotional strife. Krystal could easily save you the trouble._

He shook his head in dismissal of his confusing inner dialogue.

 _I can't let her do it. I need to confront this head-on._

He closed his eyes for a moment and took a few more deep breaths before approaching the table again. This time Wolf's wrist didn't twitch when Fox picked it up; he gingerly moved it into the leather strap and buckled it into place.

He couldn't help but glance over at the lupine's face as he moved towards the other side of the table. What could only be considered a sneer was revealing some of the teeth at the corners of his contorted muzzle. "Damn, is that really your resting face?" Fox muttered as he fumbled with another belt. He grabbed Wolf's other wrist and strapped it into place more confidently than he did the first. The vulpine failed to suppress a yawn as he finished strapping his enemy's feet into place, sinking into the nearby chair with a weary sigh. The recent events had exhausted him both physically and mentally. He made himself comfortable in the chair and yawned again.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into?" he muttered listlessly.

Through heavy eyelids, the last thing Fox noticed before surrendering himself to sleep was Wolf's tail. It flicked once, as if in response to the vulpine's question.

 _You're in for a wild ride, Fox._

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Man, long time no see! I promise I haven't been dead - just juggling school and work and life in general. Final exams just ended and I'm beyond excited to have finally finished this chapter. A huge _huge_ thank you to everybody who waited patiently and didn't give up on my story!

So, anyways, here we go...

This chapter is important because it sets the tone of the rest of Wolf's time aboard the Great Fox. It establishes, among other things:  
-The two mentalities towards Wolf; Krystal/Fox/Peppy want to keep him around, while Falco/Slippy want him gone. This will leave room for more conflict between team members over Wolf.  
-The reasons why Fox is fearful of Wolf; Wolf is practically the only nemesis that has consistently matched Fox's skill level, and it's likely that Fox would be easily defeated in a fair fight between the two. This fear will help drive his inner conflict when he begins to get to know Wolf in later chapters.  
-The immediate plot progression; as it stands now, Wolf will be considered a guest on board until he shows any acts of hostility. The question is, when will this happen? Will it happen?

I tried to pull more attention towards emotions in this chapter, especially those of Fox - looking back I feel like the characters were a little bit more emotionless and stoic than they should have been in certain situations, so I definitely tried to add more imagery around each character's feelings as they reacted to the events that transpired. Let me know how I did!

Speaking of imagery, I hope my description of Wolf's wounds was decent...I was working along the fine line between showing the reader just how bad his situation was and making sure it wasn't overly grotesque. My goal isn't to gross anyone out!

And by the way, Wolf's resting face isn't actually a grimace, and it's highly unlikely that an unconscious individual's tail or wrist would twitch absently. Just saying.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this late-but-eventual chapter! Let me know what you think.

Happy holidays!

-Gerlacus


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It had barely been twenty minutes before Fox awoke to a peculiar noise.

The vulpine blinked twice in drowsy confusion before he remembered where he was. The open cabinets along the walls of the med bay greeted him as he stretched his aching body, careful not to aggravate his injuries. He was midway through a yawn when he heard the noise again - a strange mixture of crinkling and rattling behind him. He turned in his chair and gasped, quickly reminded of the situation at hand: Wolf was stirring on the bed, the plastic sheets squeaking and the metal frame creaking against every movement of his body. Now startled fully awake, Fox fumbled for his comm and held it to his mouth as he addressed the team.

"Everybody, come quick! Wolf's about to wake up!"

Slippy's slurred speech crunched through the device in reply. "Wh...wha? ...Oh!"

"We'll be right there, Fox!" Krystal chimed in. "You tied him down, right?"

"Yeah." The vulpine watched Wolf struggle against the leather straps around his wrists and ankles as he gained consciousness. "Okay, I'll see you guys soon. Fox out." He disabled the comm and continued to watch Wolf from a distance. The lupine tried to open his eye - a momentary flash of deep and striking violet - and was assaulted by the blinding light on the ceiling. He promptly shut it again with a growl as he tugged his wrists against the leather straps. Through the clear oxygen mask Fox could see Wolf's teeth bared again, no doubt in alarmed hostility.

"Mmnfh!" His nemesis said something but the mask muffled his voice. Fox hesitated for a moment as the lupine tried to speak again. _Should I take his mask off?_ It had been hard enough for Fox to approach Wolf in an unconscious state, but now that his nemesis was awake he was finding it near impossible to handle the adrenaline coursing through his veins.

The lupine gritted his teeth and attempted to open his eye once more, this time more cautiously. Squinting, he surveyed the room around him; his focus found its way to the fluorescent lighting shining hotly above him, then towards the blue-gray ceiling, and eventually ended up on Fox himself.

They both froze. The most skilled mercenary Fox had ever fought was staring him down as a predator would its prey. The moment Fox spent looking back into the eye of his nemesis- seeing the wild hostility, the seething ferocity swirling beneath his violet iris - was perhaps one of the most terrifying moment of the vulpine's life.

The door to the medbay opened with a resounding _shwoom_ and the rest of the team filtered in. Wolf's focus swiftly turned to the newcomers, darting between the unfamiliar faces as they surrounded his table. Slippy gasped quietly and the room was filled with an intense silence, punctuated solely by the beeps and clicks of the medical equipment and by Fox's heart pounding in his head. The team took a moment to let it sink in that they were standing face-to-face with their career-long adversary.

Eventually, Peppy cleared his throat and broke the silence. "Mister O'Donnell. You've woken up." Wolf eyed him, but said nothing as the rabbit continued. "I bet you're wondering where you are right about now." His voice was unsettlingly cold and distant. "You're aboard Star Fox's mothership, the Great Fox, after being shot down on Fichina yesterday. You were in dire condition when we retrieved you from the surface." Peppy eyed Wolf's injuries again. "You probably still are." The lupine's expression hardened somewhat. "As a result of your antagonistic behavior towards our team, it has been decided that team Star Fox will keep you on board as a prisoner of war."

 _Prisoner?_ Fox looked towards Krystal for confirmation, but her attention was entirely focused on Wolf. She stared intently at the lupine on the bed with an expression of...confusion? Bafflement? Disbelief?

"If you show any signs of aggression towards us," Peppy continued, "then we have no choice but to deposit you where we feel fit. Whether that be on Corneria where you'll face the law, or in the depths of the Sargasso region where you'll face the endless vacuum of space, that depends on how you behave on board." The lupine's focus moved again between the variety of expressions surrounding him: hatred, disbelief, wide-eyed amazement, stone-cold stoicism. He finally ended up focusing on Fox's guarded anxiety.

Peppy kept his eyes on the lupine as he continued. "In the meantime, you are under our control and will do as we command. Krystal, is it safe to take his mask off?"

She was shaken out of her hypnosis, blinking confusedly as she stammered. "Um...he...his vital signs have significantly improved since we first got him on board; I think he should be safe without his mask." Upon Krystal's word Peppy approached the lupine and reached out to remove his mask. Wolf lifted his head slightly as the strap was loosened and the oxygen mask slid off his muzzle; he paused to take a few breaths of sorely-missed fresh air.

"Mister O'Donnell, do you have any objections to the conditions we've established for you?"

Wolf cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and spoke. "There's no need for feigned civility, Hare." He coughed a few times, continuing in his raspy, damaged voice as soon as he'd regained control of his lungs. "It's not like I've got a choice in the matter."

Peppy's eyes narrowed. "I'll consider that a 'no,' then." He stood up. "You'll be staying here in the med bay for the time being. We'll check in on you periodically over the next few days as you recover from your injuries." He turned towards the door, beckoning to Falco and Slippy. "I think our work here is done for now." The three began to make their way through the doorway one by one.

Before leaving Falco turned and addressed the lupine fiercely. "Don't try anything, pal. If you lay a finger on any one of us you're goin' out the door."

Wolf bared his teeth but said nothing as the three exited. Krystal now spoke up, not a trace of emotion in her voice or on her face. "I'll be your caretaker until your condition improves." She spoke more gently than the others, but firmly nonetheless. "Let me know if you need anything." Wolf studied her silently, perhaps trying to read her stoic expression, then gave up and nodded.

She turned to Fox. "I'm going to head back to bed. Do you have everything under control?"

Fox hesitated before nodding. "I think so, yeah." The truth was Fox had no idea how to feel; a cacophony of conflicting emotions assaulted his mind and he had no idea which ones to listen to. Krystal gave him a knowing look before grabbing his hand. "Just call me if you need anything. Good night, Fox." And without another word, she left the med bay. Fox turned his focus onto his nemesis only to find a violet eye already fixed back on him. It blinked once. The only noises now were the whirs and clicks of the medical equipment and the steady beat of the heart monitor. Alone with the lupine again, Fox took the opportunity to assess the situation at hand.

 _Alright, it's just us now. What should I do?_ He pondered the question, unable to break eye contact with Wolf. _Should I say something? I suppose I owe him a formal introd-_

"So it's all your fault, huh?"

Fox nearly jumped at the lupine's raspy voice as it cut through the tense silence. "My fault?"

"That I'm here." He coughed once. "That y'all are stuck with me."

"Yes." Fox's eyes narrowed. "Yes it is."

His nemesis smirked. "You sure don't sound pleased about it."

"Yeah well, maybe I didn't expect that pilot down there to be my _career-long nemesis,_ so excuse me for not being so cheerful." Was Wolf taunting him?

The lupine raised an eyebrow. "Chill, McCloud. You think you've got it bad? At least you can walk." He looked Fox up and down. "At least you're not a...what did he call me? Ah, right. A 'prisoner of war'. How rude."

"You're acting awfully ingrateful for someone who was just rescued." Fox's voice was stern as he continued. "Don't forget that you would've frozen to death if we hadn't come down there and saved your ass."

Wolf's expression hardened. "Stop pretending you're some kind of hero. I never asked for your help. If you'd just kept your nose out of my business and left me alone in the first place-"

"-Then you would've just continued to terrorize that poor base on Fichina like the monster you are!" Fox clenched his hands into fists in an attempt to stop them from shaking.

"Uh huh." Wolf was regaining his voice with continued use, and now he spoke in a smoother, clearer tone. "I guess it's easier for the oh-so-holy Captain McCloud to label his rivals as monsters than it is for him to take half a moment to understand them."

"I'm done talking to you." Fox was still aching and tired; he didn't deserve to add any stress by arguing with Wolf.

He turned to leave when the lupine fired a retort. "Oh sure! Just insult my very existence then run away before I get a chance to state my case." Fox stood in the doorway, ready to leave. "I expected nothing more from an entitled celebrity like you."

He wheeled back towards Wolf, teeth bared. He hated it when his celebrity status was brought up, but never before had it been used to berate him. "I saved your damn life! Is that something an 'entitled celebrity' would do? I can say whatever the hell I want." Fox could barely process the current situation. It was downright surreal - to have his nemesis here in front of him, insulting him in person rather than over a comm in his Arwing - and it was nerve-wracking.

"You wouldn't have had to save my life if you hadn't-"

"If I hadn't interfered. Yeah. I heard you the first time." Fox's eyes flickered as he thought of a response sure to anger Wolf. "Then again..." he lowered his voice. "...we wouldn't have had to save you if you could've outmaneuvered us...maybe you needed a little more practice so you didn't wreck that pitiful little ship of yours, eh?" He smirked, knowing his jab would cut Wolf deep.

Wolf lay silent on the bed for a long time, eyeing Fox with an unreadable expression across his face. After a tense minute, he spoke in a low voice. "McCloud...I don't know your life. I know next to nothing about the experiences you've had as a mercenary." He coughed. "But I know one thing about you."

Fox examined his nails nonchalantly, still smirking. "Mmh? And what would that be?"

"You've never lost a ship before." Wolf's voice remained ominously soft.

"Why yes. That is indeed correct. Congratulations on your fine detective work." The vulpine continued to feign disinterest.

Wolf lowered his voice even more. "If you knew what it felt like, you'd certainly know not to taunt others about it. I expected you to be insufferable, but I didn't expect cruelty." Fox was thrown off by the lupine's words. There was no edge to his voice, no sarcasm, no discernable emotion - and it gave Fox chills.

"You're just saying that to-"

"Why would I ' _just say that_ ,' McCloud?" Wolf raised his voice suddenly. "It's true and you know it. Of every single mercenary I have ever met, friend or foe, you are the only one who has _ever_ ridiculed another for losing their ship to you. You're the only one I've met who's despicable enough not only to capture an adversary against their will but to subject them to such unapologetic cruelty, too."

"That's a load of sh-"

"You should leave," Wolf growled, teeth bared. "You should leave right now."

Fox's fur stood on end, adrenaline coursing through his veins. "I'll leave whenever I want," he growled.

"What the hell do you want from me?!" Wolf's composure had cracked. "You've already told me how much I screwed up! You've made your point."

"You're the one who started berating me for being an entitled celebrity! You know nothing about me."

"And you know nothing about me, McCloud."

"I don't think I need to know anything more."

"Then get the hell out of here already," Wolf hissed.

Fox turned, ready to leave, then stopped in the doorway for a moment.

 _I know nothing about him, huh?_

What Fox knew for sure about Wolf was that he was nothing short of a lunatic. However, the statement sparked a curiosity within Fox. How the lupine had learned that corkscrew maneuver, or why he was on Fichina, or if he was still working with Star Wolf - they were still mysteries to the vulpine. Perhaps this was his chance to get some answers out of his adversary.

After much deliberation, Fox turned back to face Wolf. "Okay, fine." He edged closer to his nemesis on the bed. "Apparently you've got some magic words that you think will change my mind about you." He leaned his hands onto the bed in an attempt to intimidate the lupine. "What the hell could you possibly say right now that would convince me that you're anything more than a heartless criminal?"

Wolf eyed him for a tense minute, an eyebrow raised. He took a deep breath, as if to speak, but instead began to laugh.

"What's so funny, huh?" Fox raised an eyebrow angrily. "Come on. Spit it out."

"What, you think I'd tell you my _'magic words'_ now?" Wolf laughed one last time and sighed tiredly. "After what you just subjected me to? You're clearly not ready to be convinced of anything right now."

Fox would have punched the cheeky grin off Wolf's face right then and there if he didn't fear his fist being bitten in the process. "You're a goddamn lunatic, Wolf."

"At least I'm not cruel to my guests."

"You're gonna be kicked off this damn ship if you don't start talking!"

Wolf's eyes narrowed. "You ain't getting shit from me with that attitude, McCloud."

"Oh yeah?" Fox smirked maliciously. "We'll see about that." Krystal could lead an interrogation as soon as she woke up. Even if his lips were sealed, Wolf's mind was no match for a psychic.

"As soon as you decide to stop being such an insufferable asshole, I'll tell you my side of the story. Judging by this interaction, you've got a long ways to go before that happens." He looked down at the straps around his hands and feet. "And you've got to untie me, too. Deal?"

"Go to hell, Wolf." The vulpine turned and stormed out of the room with a huff; he couldn't deal with his nemesis for a second longer.

"Finally," Wolf muttered, making himself more comfortable on the bed. "Sheesh."

* * *

Fox stomped down the hallways, the cool metal against his bare feet doing little to calm his temper. He couldn't believe how insufferable Wolf was. The way he'd spoken to Fox - to the one who rescued him - was downright disrespectful. He clearly wasn't grateful for his second chance at life and probably never would be.

The vulpine stormed into his living quarters, angrily ripping off his medical gown in place of more comfortable attire. He grimaced as he slid a t-shirt over the stitches on his back, slipped into a pair of sweatpants, and turned the lights off. He got into bed carefully, wincing with every movement, cursing himself for sacrificing his own health for someone so ungrateful, so undeserving.

He even considered getting rid of Wolf right then and there; he was comforted by the image of marching into the medbay and wheeling the ingrateful bastard off into the abyss of space without a further thought.

 _No, no. Don't sink to his level._ He had to show his nemesis that he was the better of the two. And besides, getting rid of him now was exactly what Wolf would want; the lupine couldn't be given that satisfaction just yet. Fox decided he would get Krystal to help carry out an interrogation in the morning and make his final decision from there.

He pulled the covers over his head, groaning. "Why me?" He always had to play the hero, always had to put himself in harm's way to save someone else. Even when that someone else was...

He groaned again. "Why _him_?" It could have been anybody else - maybe some petty kid who was simply misguided and needed to be rescued to see the light. Maybe some rogue mercenary who could have joined Star Fox and benefited the team with their impressive piloting skills. Instead it was this insufferable piece of shit whom Fox had hated for as long as could remember.

 _Don't worry about that. You'll interrogate him in the morning._ He liked the idea of putting the bastard in his place, seeing his look of surprise when Krystal broadcasts his thoughts to the rest of the team against his will. If he was going to be stubborn and refuse to comply, it was the only way to get the information they wanted. The vulpine yawned, his eyelids suddenly heavy. He eventually succumbed to an uneasy sleep, thoughts of Wolf lingering in his unconscious mind.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Yuss, Fox and Wolf finally meet! I wanted to make sure the two thoroughly hated each other (as they should, considering that they've been trying to actively kill each other for years now). I hope I portrayed a realistic amount of mutual disdain through their (somewhat cliché) dialogue.

Note that when Fox approaches Wolf on the bed, he learns how to get information from Wolf: he has to listen to his nemesis with an open, nonjudgmental mind. Or, as Wolf put it, by not "being such an insufferable asshole." Same sentiment, really. I was trying to bring in the whole theme of getting physically closer to things representing getting closer to them mentally as well - as Fox gets closer to Wolf on the bed, he learns a little more about the criminal. Let's hope this trend continues in the future, eh?

How Fox's teammates act towards Wolf in this scene is a pretty accurate representation of how they'll tend to act towards him for the rest of his time aboard the Great Fox - Falco with open hostility, Peppy with distant professionalism, Krystal with feigned stoicism, and Slippy with anxiety/constant nerves. Classic Slippy.

Obviously Fox is now officially thinking about Wolf 24/7; I really hope I can continue to describe Fox's emotions and thoughts regarding his "guest" in a realistic manner as I move forward. That'll be a huge challenge of mine as I continue to develop the two characters and, more importantly, their opinions of each other.

Anyways, that's about it; this was a shorter chapter and there wasn't much to comment on, and I'm sorry for these late-night ramblings... Anyways let me know what you think!

-Gerlakus


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

The jarring sound of an alarm wrenched Fox from his sleep. He groaned, peeking above the blankets at the clock beeping excitedly across the room.

The vulpine yawned and dragged himself out of bed, stumbling across the living quarters and silencing the eager device. _9:00_ , it read. He was usually a morning person, but lately he'd been finding it harder and harder to wake up on time - especially after recent occurrences. The dogfight on Fichina, the damaged Arwing, the blistering cold, waking up in the medbay, discovering...

 _Wolf._ Fox scowled. He still wasn't entirely convinced that his interaction with the lupine earlier had even been real. He knew Wolf wouldn't be the most pleasant of guests, but he expected at least one reluctant "thank you" somewhere in their exchange.

 _For saving his damn life and risking my own in the process. No big deal, apparently._

Krystal would no doubt be awake by now; he wanted to discuss interrogating Wolf as soon as possible. He took a look around his untidy bedroom; the medical gown was strewn on the floor and his bloodied pilot's uniform lay crumpled and tattered in the corner. He decided he could clean it all up later, opting to walk the short distance down the hall in his pajamas rather than changing into something more formal.

* * *

He quietly approached Krystal's room and knocked. It was more of a formality than anything else - Krystal had no doubt sensed his presence long before his knuckles rapped upon the steel door. Not a second passed before he heard her voice call from within.

"Come in, Fox." The door slid open with a soft _shwoom_ and the vulpine stepped inside.

"Hey, Krystal."

"Good morning." She sat cross-legged on the bed. "Are you feeling better? Did you sleep well?"

"As well as I could, given the circumstances." He stretched his back carefully. "As long as I don't move anything wrong it doesn't hurt anymore."

"That's good to hear," she replied, eyeing his pajamas with a frown. "Didn't feel like changing, huh?"

He smiled sheepishly. "Nah. Too much effort."

"I don't blame you. After what you've been through..."

"Yeah." A silence hung in the air for a moment.

"...Do you need to talk about Wolf?"

"Yeah."

She nodded, moving to the edge of the bed and inviting Fox to sit down beside her. "I'm all ears."

Fox took a deep breath and began to speak. "So, I talked to him last night after you guys left."

"Oh? How was that?"

"It was...well, it was strange. I've never talked to him in person before. That was a little jarring. But he's...I don't even know how to describe him. Crazy? Rude? Insufferable?" He shook his head. "Worst of all, he's not the least bit grateful for what we've done for him."

She eyed Fox curiously. "Interesting. Not to play devil's advocate here, but remember that he might still be in a state of shock from all that happened."

"He said some really rude things, Krystal."

"I don't doubt that he did, and I'm not saying his actions were justified, but...I think we need to take a moment to see this from his perspective. I mean, think about it - he's aboard his enemy's ship as a prisoner of war. Who knows what he's thinking right now?"

"Well that's where I need your help," Fox interjected. "He wouldn't divulge any information. About anything."

Krystal raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"And I need you to lead an interrogation."

Her eyes widened. "Fox..."

"If he's not going to tell us what we want to know, then we have no choice but to get it by reading his mind."

"I can't do that." She shook her head. "It's...it's unethical."

"Unethical?" Fox was taken aback. "Then how about him stealing supplies from that base on Fichina? Wasn't that unethical, too? If anything he deserves some 'unethical' treatment. He tried to kill us - don't forget that."

"Like I said, Fox, I'm not trying to justify his actions. He's clearly done plenty wrong. But do we really want to fight fire with fire? Stealing information from him against his will? We aren't heartless mercenaries." Fox's thoughts from last night echoed through his mind. _Don't sink to his level. Show him you're the better of the two._

"I...I guess you're right."

"We'll have to figure out a better way. When you talked to him, did he give any signs of willingness to comply in the future?"

"Not really," Fox replied flatly.

"Not _really?_ " Her eyes narrowed inquisitively. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well...I mean, he said he'd tell me what I want to know if I..." Fox smirked. "...I think his exact words were if I 'decide to stop being such an insufferable asshole.'"

Krystal chuckled. "That's quite a request. What could you have possibly done to make someone like Wolf call you that?"

"He started it!" Fox retorted. "You know what he called me? An entitled celebrity. An entitled celebrity!" Krystal laughed as the vulpine threw his hands up in the air. "There's no way I'm ever going to get along with him."

"Well if you want information from him you're going to have to start learning how."

"Ugh." Fox held his head in his hands and groaned. "Why? _Whyyy?_ "

"Oh, suck it up, you big baby." She slapped the back of his head playfully. "It can't be that difficult."

"You should have seen him, Krystal." The vulpine brought his head back up. "He's a lunatic."

"You've dealt with plenty of crazy people before. Like all your crazy fans."

"But my crazy fans don't hate my guts." He thought for a moment. "Or try to kill me."

She snickered. "Fox, you're making this into such a big deal! Just put up with him for long enough to get what you need. I know you can do it. It'll only be a few days, and he's bound to know some pretty valuable information."

Fox was silent for a moment, staring at his feet pensively. "I..." He sighed. "You're right. I've got to get on his good side."

Krystal nodded, a smug grin on her face. "It'll be fine, trust me. I'll show you how it's done. And I'm certainly going to enjoy seeing you try to put up with him, that's for sure."

"Oh, shut up." Fox pushed her over and laughed out loud when she rolled off the bed with a yelp. Based on how the two interacted, one could easily mistake them for a couple; in fact, when she first joined Star Fox, he himself often wondered where they stood. However, over the years he'd come to the conclusion that it would be best not to pursue anything - not only would he be making headlines everywhere if he were no longer single (and no doubt breaking the hearts of fangirls across the galaxy in the process), but if things were to go sour between the two it would cause incredible strife within the team as well. If there was one thing Fox hated more than the spotlight, it was unnecessary drama.

Krystal's face reappeared from below the edge of the bed, ears twitching in mock irritation. "Alright. Let's go check up on him, then." Fox nodded and helped her back up. The two left the room, the door gently sliding into place behind them as they made their way to the medbay.

* * *

Their guest was already wide awake by the time they'd gotten there. Sitting upright in the bed, his violet eye darted towards the two as soon as the door opened.

That primal fear no longer gripped Fox as it did when he first laid eyes upon Wolf; last night's interaction had replaced that fear with a simmering irritation instead. Fox eyed Krystal's face and saw it again - the same look she'd had the first time she met Wolf. It was a mixture of confusion and bafflement, her eyebrows furrowed as if she were concentrating on something difficult.

 _What could possibly be on her mind?_

She blinked, shaking her head as if to clear her mind, then leaned close to Fox and whispered into his ear. "Watch and learn."

He looked back to his nemesis; the lupine was already staring Fox down. The two locked eyes, narrowed with distrust, when Krystal attempted to break the tension.

"Good morning, Wolf." The lupine shifted his focus to Krystal. "Did you sleep well?" He raised an eyebrow at her question, searching her tone of voice for ulterior motives, but decided there were none.

"As well as I could, given the circumstances." His voice had considerably less edge than it did the night before.

"I think it's time to replace these bandages," she said, moving towards the bloodied gauze across his chest. Wolf tensed as she drew closer, causing her to hesitate. "May I?" She asked, her hand still above his chest.

He paused for a moment, eyeing her hand and then her face, before reluctantly nodding. With the lupine's approval, Krystal sat in the chair beside him and removed the bandages carefully. He gritted his teeth as the fabric tugged on his blood-crusted fur before finally coming off.

"These lacerations have healed nicely since I first dressed them," Krystal commented approvingly. "In a day or two they shouldn't give you any trouble at all."

"A day or two?" Wolf was skeptical. "You're crazy. Something like this oughta take at least a week to heal."

"Not with our medical technology it won't." She began to gently clean his wounds. "This isn't your ordinary hospital treatment." The medical technology aboard the Great Fox was cutting-edge; the speed at which it could heal injuries was downright incredible. Wolf would've been recovering for weeks if he'd been admitted to a civilian medical facility on Corneria, but aboard the Great Fox it would take no more than a handful of days to heal completely, including his broken foot. In fact, Fox himself was feeling much better as well; though the stitches still pulled warningly when he moved too fast, his back was no longer in active, searing pain.

"Huh," Wolf entertained the thought for a moment. "Impressive. Leaps and bounds better than anything I could do myself."

"Yeah, but that's probably not saying much," Fox muttered.

Wolf narrowed his eyes at the vulpine in the corner of the room. "Has the great Fox McCloud ever had to take a knife out of his leg before? Has he ever had to sew stitches into his own arm?"

"You know, there's an easy fix for all that trouble," Fox retorted. "It's called 'going to the hospital.'" Krystal shot him a poisonous look.

"I've treated my wounds with medpacks my whole life. I don't need a hospital."

"You sure as hell needed it when we shot your ass down-"

" _Fox,_ " Krystal warned. She turned back to Wolf and began to apply new bandages, speaking softly. "I'm sorry - I don't know what's gotten into him."

Wolf blinked surprisedly. "You shouldn't apologize. _You're_ fine." He cocked his head towards Fox leaning against the wall, arms folded. "This guy, though? You should've heard him last night."

"You started it," Fox retorted angrily. "If you hadn't called me an entitled-"

"Cut it out, Fox!" Krystal stopped and gave him another sharp look. "I already know your side of the story." She resumed applying the bandages. "I don't want to have to be the moderator here, but I'll do it if you two can't get along otherwise."

Wolf cocked his head. "Who says we have to get along?"

"There's nothing worse than conflict within a team. As long as you're on board I want to minimize that drama."

"Then why am I still on board?" The question stopped Krystal in her tracks. "Easy solution: just get rid of me. Problem solved."

"Not so fast," Fox butted in. "We rescued you. It's only fair that we get something out of this."

"We've been over this, McCloud. I'm not giving you anything until you change your attitude."

Krystal was quick to chime in, sensing the rising tension between the two. "What exactly do you mean, 'change your attitude?'"

"You mean he didn't tell you?" Wolf chuckled. "About any of last night? About the whole 'berating me for losing my ship' deal?"

Krystal turned to the vulpine in the far corner. "...Fox?"

"Oh, but of _course_ he'd leave the best part out," Wolf continued. "I didn't expect anything better from him at this point."

"Wait, wait, _wait._ " Krystal wheeled around to face Fox. "You taunted him about losing his ship down there?"

"Krystal, you have to understand that he-"

"I don't care what he did, Fox. That's...that's just cruel." Her face was a mixture of shock and disappointment. "You never, _ever_ joke about something like that."

Fox immediately became defensive. "You know as well as I do that Wolf started all of this," he retorted. "You have to believe me."

"I don't know who to believe anymore." Her voice had an edge to it now. "Every time I've seen you and Wolf in the same room all you've done is bully him. Maybe it's about time he gets a chance to explain himself."

"What the hell?" Fox couldn't believe his ears. "Whose side are you on, here?"

" _Certainly not yours right now,_ " she hissed. "Fox, I don't know what's gotten into you, but this childish behavior has to stop."

The vulpine was stunned into silence. _Childish behavior?_ Was it childish to risk his life to save another? The only childish behavior here was that of Wolf, who happened to look very pleased with the current exchange.

Krystal continued more forcefully than ever. "I want to help you and Wolf both, but you've got to stop getting in the way. _Please_ just give me a chance to hear the other side of the story." The thought of Falco and Slippy interrupting her the day before briefly flashed through Fox's mind. He surely wasn't as bad as they were, was he?

 _No._ He'd let her get what she wanted. _Watch and learn,_ as she told him. Plus, he knew she wouldn't be able to resist reading Wolf's mind at some point; he realized she could gain the info he couldn't if he could swallow his pride for a moment and let her do her work.

He threw his hands up in defeat. "You know what? Fine. Go ahead. Do your detective work." He remained in the far corner of the room with his arms crossed, watching the other two intently.

Wolf's eye darted between Fox and Krystal. "How do you even put up with him?"

"Don't get the wrong impression of Fox," she replied tiredly. "He's not usually like this."

"I certainly hope so. I didn't expect you all to follow the lead of a madman." Fox opened his mouth as if to reply, but shut it when Krystal shot him another warning look.

"I hope you understand where he's coming from, Wolf. He risked his life to save you."

"And he wasn't satisfied with the results, eh? Well let me ask you this, then: what part of that was my fault?" Krystal was silent. "I never asked to be rescued. I never asked to be shot down."

"You attacked us first."

"Your team interfered with our operation."

"What was your operation?" Krystal asked, eager to steer the conversation away from trouble. The question took the lupine by surprise; he was clearly expecting her to escalate the situation as Fox had the previous night.

"...To get resources."

"Such as...?" She kept her eyes focused intently on his face, as if trying to hypnotize him.

He stared right back at her, finally replying after much hesitation. "Medical supplies. Scrap metal." He paused yet again, then reluctantly broke eye contact. "Food," he muttered.

Krystal raised her eyebrows. "Food?" Wolf refused to look her in the eyes. "You were stealing food?"

"Are you done humiliating me yet?" The lupine snapped suddenly. "You can stop trying to get into my mind now."

Krystal stammered, trying to find the best way to respond, when Fox laughed sarcastically. "Funny you say that," he interjected.

"Something you want to share, McCloud?"

The vulpine moved towards the bed. "Allow me to explain. Krystal here is a Cerinian. You know what that means?" He crossed his arms for dramatic flare, unaware of Krystal's wide-eyed tension. "She reads minds, Wolf. No matter what lies just came out of your mouth, your thoughts have betrayed you. You've unknowingly confessed everything to her." Fox grinned, waiting for the humiliation on Wolf's face, but the lupine simply raised an eyebrow at Krystal.

"A psychic, huh?" Wolf was certainly surprised, but showed no signs of worry. "That would explain it, then."

"Explains what?" Fox asked.

Krystal eyed Wolf, before seeming to understand. "Yes. I believe it does."

"Explains _what?_ " He asked more forcefully.

Wolf was about to answer before noticing Krystal, who had suddenly become tense. She shook her head warningly. After a moment of thought, the lupine looked back to Fox and finally replied. "You think I'm going to tell you?" He grinned. "You can't just force information out of me, McCloud. Nobody can."

"Nobody except Krystal."

She raised a finger. "Uh..."

"I think I've divulged enough for the time being," Wolf interjected. Krystal's face filled with relief almost as quickly as it had with worry moments before. She clearly wanted to ask Wolf more questions, but decided not to overstep her boundaries.

"Alright." She sighed, calming herself. "Are you hungry?"

It was a silly question; there was no doubt Wolf would be starving after all he'd been through. "I suppose," he replied as nonchalantly as possible.

"Let me finish applying these bandages, then we'll get you some breakfast, okay?"

The lupine nodded, watching Krystal apply the final bandage. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated for a moment. "...thank you."

She looked up at him, smiling gently. "Of course."

Fox watched the scene unfold, mouth agape. He had never heard a single word of gratitude come from his nemesis before. The fact that Krystal could put up with Wolf for long enough to get a "thank you" out of him was nothing short of a miracle.

"There - all done." She finished wrapping the final bandage and stood. "Let's go get you some food, then." Wolf briefly caught Fox's eye, then nodded to Krystal. The vulpine remained standing in the doorway, unsure of how to process current events. "We'll be back soon. Let's go, Fox." She began to leave the room, Fox following in her footsteps.

* * *

Fox spoke as soon as the door sealed itself shut behind them. "Wow."

"That's how you do it." Krystal didn't even look back, but Fox knew she was grinning.

"So, what did you learn from him?"

"He was on Fichina to get supplies," she replied. "To get food."

"Well yeah, but what else?" Fox was eager to learn what information she'd collected with her abilities.

"You were there. You heard everything I did." She turned the corner and Fox followed.

"But you must have read his mind somewhere during that whole exchange."

She hesitated. "I didn't read his mind."

"That can't be true," he replied. "I saw the way you were focusing on him. And what was he talking about with the whole 'that explains it' thing? Why wasn't he surprised about you being a psychic?"

"I'm not going to discuss this," she said flatly. "If you want more information, you're going to have to get it from him. Not me."

Their conversation ceased when they entered the dining hall. It was a small and simple room; cabinets and countertops surrounded a single metal table, and the massive food processor loomed in the far corner of the room. Krystal grabbed a bowl from a nearby cabinet, opened the door on the appliance, and placed the bowl inside.

"Let's see...we should make him something easy to digest..." She thought for a moment as she closed the device, then began to press a variety of buttons. "...bland, but nutrient-rich...how about...? Okay, this should work." She pushed one last button and with a beep the behemoth whirred to life.

"You think Wolf's ever seen one of these before?" Fox quipped while the machine did its work.

Krystal shot him a look. "Stop it."

"What? I'm not even half kidding. If he was that desperate for food on Fichina I doubt he's ever experienced something like this before. You push some buttons and a perfect meal comes out? That's probably witchcraft to him."

"You want to know how I got on his good side?" Krystal began to lecture him, a hint of irritation in her voice. "For starters, I didn't mock him. Not for his ship, not for stealing food, not for committing crimes. Not for anything." Fox raised his finger and opened his mouth to reply but Krystal continued. "That includes capitalizing on the fact that he's not as privileged as we are." He shut his mouth. "But you want to know the most important thing? I listened." The food processor clicked a few more times before suddenly falling silent, a moment later beeping cheerfully. Krystal opened the machine and brought out a perfectly-cooked, pleasantly-warm bowl of synthetic breakfast for Wolf. "I set all my preconceived notions of him aside and tried my best to listen from an unbiased standpoint. You can never learn anything if you're so quick to criticize every word that comes out of his mouth."

"If it were anybody else I would do that," Fox protested. "You know I would. But..."

"But what? What makes Wolf different?"

"Just..." The vulpine sighed. "I don't know. The history between us - it's hard to believe a single word out of his mouth because I just _know_ he's out to get me. After all these years of being at each others' throats, this would be a perfect opportunity for him to kill me once and for all."

"I can see where you're coming from. But Fox, this is also a perfect opportunity for you to prove him wrong." She placed her free hand on his shoulder. "He came onto this ship with his preconceived notions about you, and so far you've acted exactly how he expected, and that was wrong. I think you need to apologize for how you've treated him."

" _I_ need to apologize? _He's_ the one who-"

"I know. I know he's not entirely justified here, either. You've both done things you shouldn't have. But Fox, you've _got_ to take the first step in making things right." Her grip on his shoulder strengthened a bit. "No matter how much you hate his guts, he's still our guest. You need to apologize for your comments about his lost ship."

Fox didn't meet her eyes. "I..." He deliberated for a moment, eyebrows furrowed, before sighing defeatedly. "Okay. Fine. I'll apologize." He lowered his voice somewhat. "Even if I think he's the one who should be doing the apologizing." He was confident he was justified in his actions; he wouldn't have made that comment to Wolf if the lupine hadn't been so bothersome in the first place.

"An apology is worth more than you could ever imagine. I know you don't think so now, but believe me - you'll be surprised at how quickly it'll set you both on the right track."

"We'll see about that," he muttered.

"You just wait." She beckoned to him from the doorway. "C'mon - let's go make things right."

Fox smirked as he followed her lead. "Or at least try."

* * *

Wolf was alerted by the now-familiar _shwoom_ of the medbay door opening. Krystal entered the room, breakfast in hand, while Fox followed more reluctantly.

"We're back."

The lupine hesitated for a moment. "Hello again."

Krystal approached the bed politely. "We brought you something to eat." She held the bowl out to him; the gray, porridge-like concoction sat in a sad pool in the middle of the bowl. "It's not delicious by any standard, but it's highly medicinal - your body will thank you, even if your taste buds don't."

He eyed the pitiful meal from a distance, no doubt weighing caution against hunger. He grabbed the bowl from Krystal's hands, sniffed the contents twice, then licked them tentatively. He processed the taste for a moment, decided the food wouldn't kill him, then lapped up a larger portion.

Krystal raised an eyebrow. "You're not bothered by the taste?"

Wolf swallowed. "I've had worse." He lapped up some more of the soupy mixture.

"Oh!" Krystal laughed nervously. "I forgot to get you a spoon. Let me go grab one for you." She turned to leave, hesitating at the sight of Fox still standing by the doorway, and gave him a pointed look. He knew exactly what it meant: _this is your chance._

She passed him and left the room with a final _shwoom_ of the door. The room was filled with silence again, the only sounds being the occasional beep from the medical equipment and the gentle hum of the engines.

Fox studied the floor beneath his feet, planning his "apology" to Wolf. After thinking for a moment, he raised his head and spoke.

"So." Wolf eyed him silently in response. "I think we need to talk."

"Your wish is granted," Wolf replied. "We're talking."

Fox rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean."

"What is there to talk about?"

"The ship comment." Fox took a breath. The sooner he could fake an apology to Wolf, the sooner Krystal would stop scolding him for the whole ordeal. "Though I felt it was justified, Krystal thought otherwise, and..." He sighed. "Sorry."

Wolf studied his face for a moment. "You're not sorry," he replied flatly.

"How would you know?"

"You clearly still think you were justified in the matter. You said so yourself." He turned to his food. "You're only apologizing because Krystal told you to."

"Now listen here, you-"

"Look, McCloud." His voice had an edge to it for a moment. "I know you don't like me. You've made that very clear from the get-go. And you don't have to." He sighed. "But if that's the case, then just leave me be, alright? Don't pretend to try to get on my good side. No need to keep coming back to berate me some more."

"I need information from you."

"Again with the information thing? That's all I am to you? Just this obstacle in the way of your damn information? If this is how you're going to treat me, forget about it. Just let Krystal talk to me." He eyed the breakfast in his hands. "She's the only one on this ship who actually gives a shit about me anyway."

Fox unexpectedly felt a small pang of regret. What was he supposed to say? That Wolf was wrong? That he was obligated to tell Fox everything he knew? He stammered for a moment longer before Wolf shot an unexpected question.

"Why'd you do it?"

It took Fox completely by surprise. "Why'd I do what?"

Wolf glared. "Don't play dumb here."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know damn well what I'm talking about." Wolf paused, but Fox was silent. "Why'd you save me?" He forced the words through his teeth, as if they were poisonous. "Over all these years we've been at each others' throats, and you had me beat. Again. You should have left me to die." Fox gulped. "Why would you choose to keep me once you found out who I was?"

"I already told you, I needed information."

"And I already told _you,_ I've got no information for you. Why won't you let me go already?"

Fox cleared his throat and met Wolf's glare. "Look, if it were up to me, you'd be a floating corpse in space right now. Only reason you aren't is 'cause Peppy begged for us to keep you. He...said it would reflect better on our team if we didn't leave you behind. Or something. That's all."

He knew Wolf wouldn't believe the lie. "I expected you, of all people, to be a better liar. You sure are easy to read, pup." Fox's ears perked a bit. What was he playing at? Wolf promptly looked away before continuing. "I know you're lying."

"I assure you, I'm not."

"Give me one reason why I should believe that load of crap."

"You know what? You're right. I'm starting to doubt that decision." He now realized it had been foolish to convince the others to keep his nemesis aboard. "Once we get what we need from you we'll drop you off somewhere and you can make your own way back home, wherever that may be. Then life goes back to normal for everyone. Don't jump to any conclusions; it's simply business as usual."

"Geez, just listen to yourself. " Wolf rolled his eyes. "Do you actually think you're fooling anyone here? You and I both know that what you've done was more than just 'business as usual'. It would've reflected better on your team if you'd just let me die instead of giving me a chance to go on living. Even Peppy knows that. Why wouldn't you want to do the system a favor by confirming the death of its number one criminal?"

"So that's what you're going to do, then? Return to a life of pillaging and thievery? After all we've done for you?" Fox approached the bed slowly. "We've given you a second chance to live, and _that's_ how you're going to use it?" It was hard to believe how ungrateful Wolf continued to be. The bastard seemed to keep forgetting he would've been dead if it weren't for Fox's help.

"So that's what everybody thinks of me, huh?" Wolf began to retaliate. "I'm just a thief? A pirate? A heartless criminal? Yeah, clearly I just kill and cheat and steal 'cause I like it, just for the hell of it. Just because it's a fun pastime. What would you know, Mr. _Fox McCloud_ " - he hissed the name through clenched teeth - "the most celebrated hero in the Lylat system? When you've got even the slightest need for anything, you get it. Immediately. No questions asked, no doubting your intentions, no fear of being ambushed, nothing. You don't know what it's like to pilot a ship that's in constant need of repair, or to figure out where you're going to get next week's food." Wolf was leaning forward in the bed now; his eye was filled with the ferocity of a wild beast, just as as it was when he'd woken up. "You don't know what it's like to be loathed by all of Lylat. You have absolutely _no_ idea what it's like to live anything but a perfect life."

Fox was too wrapped up in the argument to notice the hint of jealousy in Wolf's voice. "Ohhh no no no. Everybody thinks, 'Fox must have the best life! I want to be just like the oh-so-great Fox McCloud!' But believe me, it's not all it's cracked up to be." At this point he started pacing around the lupine's bed. "Never a single moment of peace. Having to attend every banquet and putting up with everyone that wants to talk to you and having to make the same goddamn speeches over and over again." Part of him knew he was overreacting, waving his arms frantically as he spoke, but he couldn't stop himself. "You know how many times I've had to escape from the public eye because somebody started freaking out about seeing me and ended up drawing too much attention?" He was mere inches from Wolf's face now. "I would give anything to live one day in the life of a normal civilian, to live peacefully without my every action being broadcast to the entire system. I would give _anything_ to live as a nobody."

He was expecting a vicious response from his rival but was met with a soft sigh.

"You and me both, pal."

His tone caught Fox off guard. Wolf's expression was hardened with something other than anger; his laserlike focus on the bowl between his hands could almost bore a hole through it.

"...Well...what _are_ you going to do once we drop you off, then?"

The question stopped them both; the answer hung in the silence. The lupine tried to play off his newly-softened facial expression as indifference, but Fox knew better. Eventually, he spoke.

"Crime is the only way to survive when nobody wants to help you."

In that moment it hit Fox; it was as if he'd been punched in the gut. How could he stand here complaining to someone like Wolf, the most hated villain in the galaxy, about how tired he is of being loved by everyone? How could he be so selfish?

"Wolf, wait-"

"I think you should go," The lupine muttered, ears flat against his head. "Krystal will be back soon." With a sinking feeling, Fox realized just how much he had hurt his nemesis with his vicious comments. Not only had he shot down what was probably Wolf's only ship for years, but he had the nerve to mock his opponent about it when he was in critical condition.

"I-I'm sorry," he stumbled over his words. "I didn't - I didn't mean it. I didn't mean to-"

"Please leave, McCloud." The lupine's ears twitched once, but he didn't dare look up. At that moment, the door opened and Krystal entered, silverware in hand. Upon sight of the two, she stopped in her tracks.

"What's going on?"

Fox wanted to say more - to explain himself, to tell her that he hadn't meant to hurt Wolf so badly, to tell her how terrible he felt for all he'd done. He stammered for another moment, not knowing what words could repair the damage he'd just dealt, but Krystal had no doubt picked up on the emotions within his mind, running wild and unfiltered.

"Oh my god," he finally managed to sputter. He couldn't handle his shame for a second longer. He turned and hurried out of the room with his hands against his head in horror. He left a bewildered Krystal and a broken Wolf in his wake, the sounds of the the medical equipment echoing against his back as he ran down the hall. The door swiftly shut behind him, as if scolding him for how he'd treated Wolf. Now the only sounds were Fox's shaky breath, his bare feet pattering against the metal floors, and the gentle hum of the engines.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES**

A month between updates ain't _too_ bad, is it? Anyways, let's get down to business.

Drama, drama, drama. Fox has been on a wild ride - first fear, then loathing, then regret...Wolf's really been bringing out the worst in him lately. It'll be interesting to see where things go from here...

We've now seen a lot of different aspects of Fox and Krystal's relationship - not just the more playful and friendly side, but the more tense side as well. Krystal's mind-reading abilities often lend her more wisdom than the other characters, but Fox doesn't do a great job of listening to her or doing what she asks...

Speaking of Krystal, she's been acting very strange around Wolf...is she learning things about Wolf through her psychic abilities? What does he think of her? A mystery indeed. Too bad we can't read his mind. ;-)

I made sure to stay consistent with the whole theme of getting closer to things to better understand them. After Krystal approaches Wolf to clean his wounds, she learns that Wolf's resorted to stealing food to stay alive (poor thing!). I tried to highlight how desperate Wolf's situation is through the juxtaposition of him having to steal food on a frozen wasteland as opposed to the Great Fox's miracle food processor that gives Star Fox full control of what kind of food they want to eat, whenever they want to eat it. Kind of rude of Fox to joke about that, eh?

Continuing with the "proximity = understanding" theme is the argument at the end of the chapter. Fox learns quite a bit when he approaches Wolf's bed; suffice to say, Wolf learns a lot about Fox, too. Kind of ironic that they both despise the spotlight, but for opposite reasons, eh? Maybe they're not so different after all.

Also, fun fact: most of that argument was actually taken from the original one-shot I wrote that inspired this story in the first place. After writing the scene, I decided it would be fun to write an entire story around it, and about 2 years later I _finally_ incorporated it into the rest of the story! Woo! I should throw myself a party or something.

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! And happy St. Patrick's Day. :-)

Until next time,  
-Gerlakus


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 _What have you done?_

Filled with guilt, Fox paced down the narrow hall towards his living quarters. The metal flooring was cold and unwelcoming against his bare feet.

 _What were you thinking?_

The door slid open in front of him, his pajamas billowing in the wake of the swift movement.

 _How could you be so foolish?_

He entered the untidy bedroom, kicking some dirty clothes out of his way as he walked in; among the laundry lay the medical gown from the night before and his bloodied pilot's uniform, crumpled and tattered in the corner.

 _What the hell is wrong with you, Fox?_

He took a look at himself in the mirror, for the first time since the incident, and nearly gasped at his reflection. His usually golden-brown fur had lost its luster, matted in some places and crusted with blood in others. Cuts were visible across his face, and his eyes were sunken and bloodshot.

In other words, he was a disaster - both inside and out.

He tore his gaze from the mirror and planted himself on the edge of his bed, holding his head in his hands. It shocked him to think that he was capable of being so rude towards Wolf this entire time without even realizing it.

 _Making jokes about his downed ship? The one that YOU downed, no less? And the comment about the hospital? And the food processor..._

He ran it all over in his head - every quip, every comeback, every unnecessary remark - and cringed in shame. That wasn't the Fox everybody knew and loved, and it certainly wasn't the Fox he wanted anybody to see. The events of the last few days had clearly worn him thin, and he needed to take some time to unwind and recover.

He flopped onto his back, hands still grasping his head in shame. He tried desperately to calm himself, but he couldn't relax - not now, with so much on his mind. He'd go crazy if he continued to lie idly on the bed; he needed something to distract him from his thoughts.

Pulling himself back to his feet, Fox dragged himself towards the medical gown lying on the floor. He bent low and picked it up, careful not to aggravate his back. "How do I even wash this?" he pondered out loud, the plastic robe squeaking and crinkling in his hands. He shrugged and tossed it into the laundry basket, deciding he could worry about it later.

Next on the list was the pilot's uniform, crumpled in the corner like a wounded animal. It was hard to find a place on the outfit to grab a hold of that wasn't covered in blood, but eventually the vulpine found an unsoiled patch in the middle of the chest. Pinching it and holding it at arm's length, he dropped the pitiful garment into the basket on top of the gown, eager to let it go.

The movement reminded Fox of some sort of claw machine game - like the kind he would see at the Cornerian festival as a child. The annual celebration in his home city was one of Fox's fondest and most vivid childhood memories; it was the only time of the year when his father would take a break from his mercenary work and the two would spend quality time together. Strolling through the fairgrounds, grasping cotton candy in one hand, holding his father's hand in the other...

 _No._ He didn't need any extra emotional turmoil. _Not now._

Eager to occupy his mind with anything else, Fox searched for more chores to do in his room. It was only then that he realized how untidy it had become; more laundry was still strewn across the floor, his trashcan was overflowing, and every upright surface was littered with dirty dishes. Another pang of shame hit the vulpine; ever since his days in the academy he'd always prided himself on how neat and orderly he'd been. As it stood now, though - and as it had for quite a while - his room told a much different story.

In that moment, in the center of his pitiful bedroom, he realized just how far he'd truly fallen. He collapsed onto the edge of the bed and held his head in his hands, overcome with a wave of shame and all-too-familiar grief. The vulpine had tried to deny it for months now, but the simple truth of the matter was that something was very wrong with him and he couldn't figure out what it was. He'd been able to mask his ill emotions until now, but judging by his actions lately, the events of the last few days had caused his cracked facade to finally shatter.

Another pang of regret found its way to Fox's gut when he realized just how much of his burden he'd unloaded upon Wolf and Krystal. They didn't deserve any of the treatment he'd given them. They didn't deserve to get dragged along in the debris of his personal storm. There was no way the vulpine would be able to set things right without first offering each of them the most sincere apologies he possibly could.

 _But how?_ He couldn't face them that same day. They were no doubt still seething with anger from his actions - though justifiably so. "I want to avoid as much of their wrath as possible," he muttered absentmindedly.

Immediately he cursed himself for his selfishness. _Shut your goddamn mouth, Fox. You're going to apologize before dinner time, and that's that._ No matter how disappointed Krystal was, no matter what cutting quips Wolf threw at him, he was going to apologize to them both. Only then could he begin to clear his conscience of what he'd done, one small speck at a time.

 _You deserve all the wrath in the world for how terrible you've been acting towards both of them anyways._

He stood from the bed and continued to clean his bedroom. He couldn't march into the medbay or Krystal's room just yet; he needed time to think up the best way to apologize, and he decided he might as well finish up the chores he'd started in the meantime.

He picked up some dirty laundry from the floor, thinking his way through the apologies as he eyed the crumpled clothing. _I've got to make sure I address everything I've done wrong._ He dropped it into the basket and moved towards a shirt near the door. _I can't just show up and say sorry._ He grabbed the shirt and tossed it into the basket, along with some socks he'd picked up along the way. _They have to know that I really mean it._

As a psychic, Krystal would know right off the bat. But Wolf? He'd be harder to convince. Years of animosity between the two couldn't be erased by a mere 'my bad.'

He moved towards a pair of underpants hiding behind the foot of the bed - the last piece of clothing on the floor - and dropped it into the laundry basket. He was already beginning to feel better; though there was still much work to be done, at least he'd started the process of making things right again.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, admiring the now-clean floor of his room as he continued to think about his plans for the rest of the day. He'd take a shower, make himself presentable, talk to Krystal, then...

 _Then confront Wolf._ The mere thought of the lupine was enough to fill Fox with shame. The sooner he could get the apology over with, the sooner he could help alleviate the tension he'd created between the two.

The vulpine stood up again. "Let's get this over with," he told himself resolutely. He grabbed the last of the clean clothes remaining in his closet, left his room, and headed towards the communal showers.

* * *

As Fox made his way down the hall, he was too preoccupied to notice another door opening behind him with a soft _shwoom_. He entered a stall in the shower room and turned the faucet on, wincing in anticipation as he pulled his shirt up off his back; he'd been expecting sharp pain as he aggravated his stitches, but was pleasantly surprised to feel nothing more than a slight tugging as the medical technology continued to do its job.

After removing the rest of his clothes he stepped carefully into the shower, inhaling sharply as the slightly-too-cold water ambushed his back. After a moment, however, it warmed itself and Fox exhaled in relief. He could feel his sore muscles begin to relax under the heat of the water pouring over him. He could feel his tired mind begin to clear as the mental blockade of stress and anxiety boiled away into the steam around him. He lathered some soap into his fur and wiped himself down, ridding himself of the crusted blood and sweat that had plagued his pelt for the last several days.

As he continued to scrub himself clean, he began to plan what he would say to Krystal.

 _Hey Krystal. I know you're probably still - I know you are still mad at me, but I just wanted to apologize for...for..._

What exactly had he done wrong to Krystal? Now that he thought about it, he really hadn't done anything worth apologizing for. If anything, she should be apologizing to-

"Stop it," he cursed under his breath. He'd played the victim for far too long and couldn't let himself fall into that state again. His team was well aware by now that he'd been battered and bruised, both figuratively and literally, so he needed to move on from that default fallback position.

 _For bringing you into my mess with Wolf. That's what I'm apologizing for._ The vulpine had shot down every attempt of hers to help reconcile the two. Krystal had given him clear instructions on how to make things better with Wolf, but Fox was too stubborn, too arrogant, to take her advice. As a psychic, there was no doubt that she knew how best to resolve the situation, and yet Fox had blatantly disregarded her advice over and over again.

He began to rinse himself off one last time, still thinking his way through the apology. _I promise I won't let my arrogance overpower your judgment again._

The vulpine turned the water off. _I'm sorry, Krystal._

With a clear mind and a clean body, the vulpine toweled himself dry and slipped into the tank top and sweats he'd brought with him. He hadn't realized how pitifully disgusting he'd been until he smelled the refreshing scent of his new clothes and felt the crispness of the air against his newly-softened fur.

With a contented sigh, he gathered his old clothes and left the showers. He walked down the hallway, feet pattering against the metal, and approached his bedroom.

"Fox."

He jumped in alarm at the voice behind him and spun around. Krystal leaned against the wall next to the doorway of the shower room, not a hint of emotion on her face.

"Krystal!" The vulpine stammered. "I-I didn't - I must've not seen you there."

"I could tell you were lost in your thoughts." She eyed him, still adorning an expression of stoicism.

Fox sighed, looking towards the floor. "Yeah. You could say that." The stronger someone's emotions were, the easier it was for Krystal to pick up on them. No doubt she could read him like a book. Which meant...

His eyes shot back up to her in alarm. "Did you catch any of what I-"

"Yes."

"...How much?"

"All of it."

The vulpine felt a sinking feeling in his stomach and a twinge of embarrassment. "Ah."

They were both silent for a long time. Eventually he continued. "I guess there's nothing left for me to say, then."

"Yes." Another long pause. From all the way across the hall, Fox could see that her expression was still unsettlingly unreadable. At this point he could only assume that she was dissatisfied with his apology. Given his actions lately, he didn't blame her.

He broke eye contact, ears flat against his head, and turned away wistfully. "Well if you'll excuse me, I have to attend to other matters." He began to make his way back to his room when he was ambushed by a hug from behind. Krystal's arms wrapped around his midsection as he awkwardly received the unexpected embrace. As soon as she let go, Fox turned to face her with confusion.

"Wh...?"

"Thank you for your apology," Krystal explained. "I know it took a lot for you to, er, 'say' all that."

Fox rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Oh. Thanks. Yeah, I'm kind of realizing I've been a massive asshole lately."

"Nobody can blame you, Fox. You've been through a lot."

"But I need to stop using that as an excuse." He became more stern. "Like with Wolf. Whenever he talks to me, all I do is play the hero card. _'Well I saved you, so whatever you have to say doesn't matter.'_ That's not fair."

Krystal smirked. "True. But at the same time, don't discount yourself entirely. Don't forget that what you did out there really was heroic. Nobody else wanted to risk their life to rescue him, but you rose to the occasion."

 _And just look where that got me,_ Fox wanted to say. Although he decided against it, he immediately realized she'd picked up on it regardless.

He sighed. "I guess you're right. But that's all I've been able to focus on. Like you said, Wolf is probably pretty shaken by all this, too." The vulpine raised his hands in exasperation. "What am I saying? Of course you know exactly how he feels. Sometimes I wish I could get into his mind like you can."

Krystal bit her lip uncomfortably. "Well..." She was interrupted by a pair of voices from further down the hall.

"...but think about it. If you're in a _tunnel_ , where there is _no roo_ m, there is literally _no way_ you could do a barrel roll."

"I'm tellin' you, frogface! I could totally do it. I'll show you next time we're in the air."

"You are _not_ gonna destroy one of our Arwings to prove a point, birdbrain!" Slippy and Falco were engaging in yet another heated debate.

"I'm not gonna destroy it, you slimy..." Upon encountering Fox and Krystal, the two promptly halted their discussion. Falco gulped, then nodded awkwardly at Krystal before passing her to enter his bedroom, Slippy following closely behind him. As soon as the bedroom door closed, Fox turned to her.

"He still hasn't apologized for all that stuff earlier, has he?"

She shook her head. "I don't think 'sorry' is in his vocabulary."

"Oh well. To be fair, my own track record hasn't been so great either." He chuckled, but sadly. "Speaking of, I really have to go talk to Wolf."

She nodded understandingly. "Of course. Thanks for the apology, Fox. It really means a lot to me." She moved close and the two hugged again briefly.

"Hey, it's nothing. I should really be thanking you for giving me another chance."

Krystal waved her hand in dismissal. "I have faith in your ability to make things right." She turned towards her bedroom door across the hall. "Good luck, Fox." The two went their separate ways - Krystal to her room and Fox to his own.

As soon as he stepped through the door, the vulpine dropped his dirty laundry in the basket and checked himself in the mirror again. With the dirt and blood washed away, not only had his fur regained its shine and volume, but the cuts across his face had become significantly less visible as well. He studied the pair of emerald eyes looking back at him, shining with new-found energy. It was hard to believe he was even the same person; in fact, if his newly-cleaned floor was any indication, he really wasn't. The fact that he was so determined to set things right with Wolf was proof that he'd become someone different.

 _Someone better, I hope._

After smoothing down an unruly tuft of fur on his head, the vulpine decided he was sufficiently presentable. With a contented sigh, he left his room and headed towards the medbay, ready to make amends.

* * *

 _Shwoom._

Fox stood in the open doorway, catching Wolf's attention from a distance. The two locked eyes in silence for a moment before Fox spoke.

"Hey."

Wolf continued to eye him silently. Fox cleared his throat and attempted to break the tension once again. "Can I come in?"

The lupine narrowed his eye. "That's not my choice to make," he muttered.

Fox gulped, realizing this was going to be harder than he expected. He stepped cautiously into the room and the door shut behind him. The silence was punctuated only by the gentle hum of the engines and the occasional whir or beep from the medical equipment.

"I need to talk to you."

"You mean you didn't just stroll in to berate me further?"

Fox's expression hardened in preparation to retaliate, but he stopped himself.

 _I need to keep my cool._

To be fair, Wolf had every reason to be mad at him, considering his recent behavior.

The vulpine took a breath to calm himself. "No."

"Then what are you doing here? I already told you to leave me alone."

"I have a lot to apologize for."

"You sure as hell didn't mean it when you 'apologized' last time you saw me."

The vulpine continued, ignoring Wolf's attempts to rile him up. "I've been under a lot of stress lately, with the mission and my injuries..."

"Right, cause _you're_ apparently the only one who got the shaft in this whole situation." Wolf laughed bitterly. "Am I supposed to pity you?"

"Please just hear me out, alright?" Fox's tone hardened somewhat. "This whole time I was caught up with the fact that I was so injured and that I _heroically_ rescued you " - he scoffed at his own words - "that I never stopped to think about your side of the story."

Wolf didn't immediately respond. Fox continued to linger near the doorway, far from the bed in the middle of the room. "Go on," the lupine finally said with a hint of reluctance.

Fox took a step forward. "I've realized that how I've treated you was...it was wrong. Very wrong. I shouldn't have been so rude to you. All those quips, those jabs, those childish remarks about your downed ship and your injuries and..." Fox knew he would start stumbling over his own words if he didn't slow down. He took a deep breath and continued more carefully. "That's not me. That's not the Fox I want people to see. It's certainly not the Fox I want anyone - especially you - to be subjected to."

The lupine continued to stare him down, not a hint of emotion on his scarred face, as Fox took another step forward and continued. "I'm...I've been..." He clenched his hands behind his back to stop them from shaking. "I haven't been myself lately. I know you have no basis of comparison, but I promise you I'm not usually like this. I'm sorry you and Krystal have had to deal with all my personal bullshit for the last few days, and I just want you to know that I'm sorry for being such a dick to you as a result."

Wolf smirked, but he did so uncomfortably, trying to downplay his surprise. The lupine clearly wasn't expecting such a heartfelt apology from his nemesis.

"I realize now that I really don't want to force information from you," Fox continued. "Peppy and the others have deemed you a prisoner of war, but I've decided that's not fair to you. To anyone." For a fleeting moment the vulpine hesitated, but decided he'd gone too far to back out. "I've already caused enough damage. There's no more reason for me to keep you here except to let you heal then set you free. We'll drop you off wherever you want and you can continue your life without our interference."

Wolf was unable to contain his surprise this time. He stared at Fox, eyebrows raised in surprise and confusion. "What's the catch?"

"There is no catch."

He narrowed his eye in suspicion. "That's a load of crap. There's no reason for you to be all nice with me, especially not now that you've got me under your full control. Why the sudden change of heart?"

The lupine's skepticism was almost beginning to irritate Fox. "There's technically no reason I have to apologize to you either. Hell, I probably shouldn't be saying all this to someone who wants nothing more than to see me dead. But you know what?" He took another step towards Wolf. "I don't care. I'm done being an asshole. I want to take the first step in making things right." By now he was no more than a meter away from the bed, able to see every detail of Wolf's injured body. His bloodied fur and scarred eye socket still caused Fox's fur to stand on end, but the vulpine realized that this was the first time he'd seen his rival's face adorned with something other than pure hatred. Granted, the perplexed expression wasn't much of an improvement, but it was still an improvement nonetheless.

The lupine shifted his focus from one of Fox's emerald eyes to the other, back and forth, no doubt trying desperately to find a hint of deception in the vulpine's expression. "Let me tell you, McCloud...I've dealt with a lot of liars in my time." He studied Fox's face for another moment before giving up. "You're either the best one I've ever met, or you really do mean all that sappy bullshit you just spewed onto me."

Fox shrugged. "I don't lie."

Wolf shook his head. "Everybody lies. Don't kid yourself."

"Well I certainly didn't lie to you about any of this."

"As far as I can tell." The lupine huffed, his arms crossed.

"Well...do you accept my apology, Wolf?" Fox held his hand out.

 _Am I out of my mind here?_

Wolf looked at the outstretched limb as if it were on fire.

 _Maybe. Probably._

His expression gradually changed from disbelief to confusion - and an assortment of less recognizable expressions. Fox would've found it humorous if he himself weren't preoccupied with the emotional turmoil of asking for forgiveness from his mortal enemy.

 _But you know what? It doesn't matter who's wrong or right anymore_.

Wolf's gaze dropped to the floor as he processed the unexpected exchange; when he resumed eye contact a moment later, his face had resumed its default state of rock-like stoicism as well.

 _All that matters is making things right with him._

After a tense pause, he spoke gruffly. "Sure. No reason not to, I guess." He raised his hand to meet Fox's, gripped it firmly, and the two shook decisively.

 _I just hope he wants this new beginning as badly as I do._

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Woo! This was a pretty pivotal moment for both Fox and Wolf. Not only has Fox realized his dickish ways, but the two are finally putting aside their bitterness in order to try to start things over.

The whole theme of "closer = better understood" is prominent in two main places here, the first of which being between Fox and Krystal after the shower scene. When the two are standing on opposite ends of the hall, Fox assumes Krystal is still bitter about his behavior earlier, but it's only when she gets closer to (and hugs) him does he realize she actually appreciates his apology. The other scene is between Fox and Wolf in the medbay. At first, Wolf doesn't believe that Fox really means his apology. As the exchange goes on, however, Fox takes (literal and figurative) steps towards Wolf, eventually leading to a deeper understanding between the two of them.

A lot of this chapter focuses on thoughts and inner dialogue, so I've been experimenting with interlacing italicized thoughts with actions. I feel like it's more natural for a character to have thoughts _while_ they're doing something else - e.g. picking up clothes _while_ thinking through an apology, or weighing options _while_ speaking to someone - than to have a paragraph of character actions followed by a paragraph of uninterrupted italicized thought. In my opinion, it's rare to find a situation where somebody will be able to think something through without doing something else at the same time. As a result, lately I've been trying to weave dialogue and actions equally within thought-heavy passages in order to keep the scene fresh with plot movement whilst still maintaining a rich sense of inner dialogue. Please let me know how I did with this - I have no idea if this is how you guys would rather read a scene, or if I'm just being crazy!

Fox cleaning his room and taking a shower are symbols of him acknowledging his faults and changing his behavior as a result. The room is essentially a manifestation of his mental state; as he picks up dirty laundry from the floor, he begins to realize all that he's done wrong lately and devises a plan to make things right. Cleaning the grime and blood from Fox's fur is an even more direct metaphor for him "cleaning up his act."

Some of the clothing items Fox picked up have symbolic significance, as well. The fact that the pilot suit was entirely bloodied except for "an unsoiled patch in the middle of the chest" shows that, though Fox may have been battered and bruised, he still meant no harm in the grand scheme of things because his heart is still intact. The fact that the very last item of clothing he picked up was underwear has it's own meaning, too; as the story goes on, not only will Fox continue to spend time with Wolf, but he'll also have to address his own thoughts and feelings as they surface. The last feeling in his mind that he's going to address is...well, I think you can get a pretty good idea of why I chose underwear. :-P

In this chapter we also get a glimpse of Fox's past on Corneria - but he's quick to dismiss the flashback. Interesting. I'd like to have occasional forays into Fox's past like this as the story goes on, but I'm not sure how I'll be using them in the grand scheme of the story just yet. They'll probably just be used as more common ground between the two.

Speaking of common ground (and of the "italicized thoughts" bit I discussed earlier), I assume most people read the last scene with the assumption that the italicized thoughts were Fox's, but I intentionally wrote them such that they could be interpreted either as Fox's thoughts _or_ Wolf's thoughts. If you reread the passage, this time applying those thoughts to Wolf instead of Fox, you'll get an entirely different perspective on the whole situation. Essentially I was trying to show that neither party _quite_ believes the other, but they're both hopeful enough (Fox outwardly so, Wolf more secretly) that they're willing to trust in the other one to help make things better between them. It's such a guessing game between these two, isn't it? Too bad they can't read minds...

Thank you guys for your patience! So far the summer's been super busy, but I'm glad I can still find enough time to write semi-regularly. And happy Memorial Day for those of you who live in the States!

Until next time,  
-Gerlakus


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"This will be your room."

Fox opened the door at the end of the hall with a soft _shwoom_ and gestured towards the bedroom within. Wolf eyed him with a hint of skepticism before accepting the invitation, stepping past the vulpine and through the doorway. He surveyed his surroundings as Fox followed him into the empty quarters; a meager porthole, a desk with a lamp, a bed in the far corner, and a modest amount of closet space were the only features of the plain room. It was the exact same shape and size as Fox's own living quarters, but somehow seemed significantly larger.

 _Must be the lack of dirty clothes all over the floor._

"So...what do you think?"

Wolf continued to study the room, moving towards the bed and feeling the texture of the blankets between his fingers. "It's a step up from the medbay, that's for sure."

Shortly after Fox's apology, it had been decided that Wolf's injuries had healed to the point where he could stand on his injured leg and walk where he pleased. Understandably, this development had caused considerable panic among the others - including Fox himself. However, the vulpine had quickly reprimanded himself for his paranoia; simply put, if he were to make amends, he'd have to prove that he had trust in Wolf's judgment and grant him the same freedoms as every other individual on board.

"I couldn't imagine keeping you cooped up there like a prisoner. I'm not _that_ cruel."

After much heated debate between Fox and Falco, the team had grudgingly allowed Wolf to fill the unoccupied bedroom at the end of the hall. Krystal had removed the IV from his arm and the cast from his leg while Falco and Slippy sulked in the corner of the medbay. Fox had agreed to bring him to his new room after Krystal had gotten him on his feet and went to prepare him some dinner.

The lupine carried his usual expression of stoicism throughout the entire process, but Fox could tell he was secretly relieved to be out of the medbay. One could only imagine the joy he was feeling - to be free from the figurative cage to which his injuries had confined him. It made the vulpine grateful that his own physical state hadn't been so debilitatingly severe.

Wolf caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror across from the bed and stood up. "Holy shit," he muttered, approaching the mirror with interest. He ran his fingers across his blood-crusted fur and felt the new scars on his face. "I'm a mess."

"That's exactly what I thought when I saw myself," Fox interjected. "The shower's right down the hall if you want to wash up. And there should be some clean clothes in that closet, so you can get out of that god-awful medical gown."

"I'll wear anything, so long as it's not this plastic atrocity." Every time the lupine moved, his squeaky gown produced a sound not unlike that of a family of mice being tortured. Fox cringed; he was well aware of this "feature" himself. He'd ditched his own gown as soon as he possibly could in order to avoid the material's horrendous squeaking sounds.

Fox cleared his throat and entered the quarters. "So..."

Wolf had buried his head in the closet across the room, rummaging through its contents to find something he could change into. "What?" He responded in a muffled voice.

"...Where would you like to be dropped off? I assume at your...home...?"

Wolf stopped. There was a moment of silence before he responded, still enveloped by the closet. "Where are you headed now?"

"We'll be stopping by Corneria to repair my Arwing."

The lupine paused again, before eventually continuing his raid. "Then you can drop me off there."

Fox raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that a little risky for you?"

"I'll take my chances."

Fox hesitated. "Alright, if you say so." He clasped his hands together. "Anyways, my room is across from yours, and Krystal should be here any minute with some dinner for you." He hesitated. "I...um, anything else you need?"

Wolf's head reappeared to look at the vulpine, who lingered in the far corner. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then hesitated, then closed it again. "Nah," he finally said, shaking his head. "I'm good."

Fox nodded again, failing to suppress a yawn. "Alright, I'm headed to bed then. We usually eat breakfast at 9...if you're awake by then, feel free to join us."

"...Alright," Wolf said after some time, taking some clothes from the closet and tossing them on the bed before he sat down. He began to fiddle with the blankets again; it was clear that the lupine wanted to say more, but he remained inexplicably silent.

 _What's on his mind?_

"Well." Fox scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Good night."

He had barely even taken a step towards the door before Wolf stopped him.

"Wait."

He immediately turned back around, eager to hear what the lupine had wanted to say this whole time.

"What?"

Before Wolf could speak he was interrupted by a soft cough. Through the open doorway Krystal had appeared, dinner in hand.

"Hey guys."

"Oh! Hey Krystal."

She took a step into the room then hesitated, no doubt picking up on mental cues within the room. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Not at all." Wolf was quick to respond. Fox glanced at him, an eyebrow raised.

"Okay good," Krystal replied lightly, continuing towards the desk across the bed from Wolf. "I brought you some dinner." She set the bowl of jiggling porridge on the desk. "It's the same stuff you ate earlier today - I hope you don't mind."

"It ain't that bad, actually." He stood up and made his way to the desk. "Besides, beggars can't be choosers anyway."

Krystal smirked. "What, you think you're a beggar?"

He glanced at himself in the mirror again. "I'm certainly not a chooser."

"Fair enough," she replied. Fox yawned again, observing the interactions between the two from the corner of the room. As curious as he was to hear what Wolf had been planning to tell him before Krystal came in, the vulpine simply didn't have the energy to stay awake any longer. He snuck out of the room as the two continued their conversation and made his way to his own room across the hall.

With a gust of air the door slid open; Fox's rapidly-waning energy allowed him to enter, set his alarm clock, and flop onto the bed. The days events had worn him thin both physically and emotionally; he was more than ready to unwind. One last thought of Wolf ran through his tired mind before he was fast asleep, ready to relax and recuperate.

* * *

 _"Do you want to go on the ferris wheel?"_

 _A young Fox McCloud shook his head. The sound of children delightedly laughing and squealing paired well with the cheerful carnival music crunching out of a nearby speaker._

 _"But you love the ferris wheel! Every year it's the only ride you ever want to go on."_

 _Fox crossed his arms. "But I'm too grown up for the ferris wheel now, dad! I wanna go on the Brain Bender." He pointed at the sign nearby. "Roller coasters look like so much more fun."_

 _"Are you old enough for a roller coaster, bud?"_

 _Fox nodded emphatically._

 _James frowned, thinking hard. "...Alright, if you say so." His expression softened. "But you'd better finish that cotton candy before we get on. I don't want it to fly into my face halfway through the ride."_

 _Fox giggled, taking another bite out of the pink fluff. "Alright, fine. I'll eat it on the way." He took James' hand and led him towards the ride, weaving through the crowd and munching away at his treat. Sights and sounds came from all directions as He expertly navigated the sea of carnival-goers, tossing the remains of his now-eaten cotton candy into a nearby trashcan on the way._

 _"Look, we're here!" Fox stopped at the end of the line, his father following. The young kit watched with wonder as the brightly-colored chain of cars flew along the track above, twisting and turning like a flamboyant snake slithering through the sky._

 _"No wonder the line's so long," he said to himself. It was true; the queue zig-zagged countless times before the entry point. It would be at least twenty minutes before they would be able to get on._

 _This information didn't deter Fox; if anything, it merely increased his excitement. He was finally going to go on a big-kid ride! He was practically bouncing up and down at this point._

 _"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"_

 _He was about to step into the line when James gently pulled on his hand._

 _"Wait."_

 _Fox froze in place before turning back around, curious to know what had made his father stop him._

 _"What is it, dad?"_

* * *

An alarm clock rang out.

Fox opened his eyes slowly, still enveloped by the events of his dream. He paused for a moment before dragging himself out of his blanket cocoon and turning the alarm off, glad to return to reality.

He stretched his back carefully and yawned before making his way back to the bed, sitting on the edge of it. Despite falling victim to the unpleasant dream - again - he felt remarkably relaxed and refreshed. His injuries no longer plagued him with their dull aching. In fact, he felt fantastic.

The vulpine took another look at the alarm clock on the desk. _9:07_ , it read. He blinked in surprise; he'd hoped to be up before 9 to meet the others at breakfast, but he must have set the alarm incorrectly in his drowsiness last night. Not even bothering to change out of his pajamas, he hopped off the bed and hurried out of the bedroom, anxious about leaving Wolf with the others.

* * *

What failed to greet him in the dining hall was a table full of tense Star Fox members. They ate their food without a word, frequently stealing glimpses at the newcomer; Wolf sat in the far corner, far from the others, and eyed his breakfast with no discernible expression. He was the first to look up and see Fox in the doorway, their eyes meeting for a moment before he eventually returned his focus to the food in front of him. Fox did a double take at the sight of his newly-washed guest; the dried blood across his entire body was all gone, and in its place stood a healthy coat of gray and white fur. In place of the abominable medical gown was now a black tank top and sweatpants. All things considered, the vulpine was taken aback by how much Wolf's appearance had improved since they'd seen each other last.

"Oh...hey, Fox." Slippy had finally seen Fox and broken the silence, everyone else following in turn. "Mmh," Falco grunted flatly. Peppy waved and Krystal smiled gently before continuing to eat the food in front of her. It was out of the ordinary for his team to be so quiet, but he could hardly blame them - it was the first time many of them had truly interacted with their new guest.

"Hey guys," Fox replied awkwardly, daring to take the seat next to Wolf. It was the least he could do after what had gone down the day before. However, he regretted the decision as soon as he felt the entire table watching him. He pretended not to notice, eating his food in silence like the others. After a moment, he dared a glance at Wolf and his unscathed tray of food.

"You're not hungry?" Fox asked. Not a single bite of Wolf's breakfast was missing.

"Nah." The lupine looked around at the unrelenting stares before quickly resuming his own staring contest with his tray.

"So, how's everybody doing?" The vulpine asked cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood a little. All he got was a "meh" from Slippy and another grunt from Falco. Fox sighed. His team was clearly uncomfortable around Wolf, out of hatred and probably fear.

To be fair, their reaction was perfectly understandable; Fox was trapped on the same ship as his most formidable foe, who was now able to venture where he pleased. It would certainly be a convenient chance for a lethal "accident" to occur.

"We're on our way to Corneria." Fox said, trying once more to create conversation. "It'll be nice to be back home, won't it?"

There was a short silence. "How long till we get there?" Wolf asked bluntly.

Falco was quick to respond. "Why do you need to know?"

"No more than a day or two." Fox sent the bird a sharp warning look before continuing. "How long has it been since you were last there?"

"A while." Wolf cleared his throat. "Not since the Lylat Wars. It ain't a popular destination."

 _For obvious reasons._ Seeing that this conversation would lead to more tension, Fox tried to change the subject.

"How do you like the ship?"

Wolf was clearly not in the mood for small talk, but he made an effort to respond nonetheless. "It's huge." Fox nodded in agreement before Wolf continued. "But isn't it weird to see your teammates so often?"

Everyone at the table eyed him questioningly. "I've never been in in a mobile HQ like this," he explained. It dawned on Fox that Wolf's team must've had to travel across the system in their separate Wolfens. Another pang of guilt hit him. No matter what he talked about, it felt like he ended up bragging about his privilege.

 _Why do you keep screwing this up, Fox?_

"Well, it sure would take some getting used to."

"Yeah."

Another silence ensued as the team ate their food. Falco's disdain for Wolf was almost tangible.

 _Do something. Say something._

It was clear that Fox needed to keep the two away from each other for as long as he could to avoid conflict.

 _Anything._

The vulpine took a breath, forming the words countless times in his head before he spoke. "Tell you what - how about I take you for a tour of the ship?"

Wolf turned to Fox, an eyebrow raised. The vulpine did his best to maintain a casual expression as he watched his guest's skeptical eye. He desperately wanted to prove to Wolf that he was _not_ , in fact, a selfish asshole. The easiest way to do that was to make him feel at home for the short time he'd be staying aboard.

After a moment - perhaps a bit too long - Fox pulled his eyes away, fearing he'd made a terrible mistake. However, Wolf responded shortly thereafter. "Sure. Why not?" Fox felt himself exhale a breath he wasn't aware of holding. He was, however, aware of everyone's eyes upon him again.

 _I wish they'd stop doing that for once._

The two got up to leave when Falco stopped them. "Wait. Fox. Before you go, could you...take a look at my comm? It's been acting up." Fox was about to reply that he would be of no help - that Slippy would be more suited for such a job - when he noticed Falco's _I-need-to-talk-to-you_ look.

"I...uh, okay."

Falco glanced at Wolf, and added: _alone._

"...Yeah. Um, Wolf, just wait here. I'll be back in a minute." Fox followed Falco as the two exited the room and made their way towards the living quarters.

* * *

"What's up?" Fox asked, but he knew the answer before Falco even opened his mouth.

"What's up with _you_?" Falco stopped in the middle of the hallway and turned around. "Did you not get the memo? Wolf's our enemy."

"As long as he's on this ship he's a guest. Being hospitable is the least we can do."

"The least we can do? We already saved his life - was that not enough?"

Fox was at a momentary loss of words. "Look, I've been a real dick to him since he's been on board."

"So? That's all the more reason to keep him on lockdown. Who's to say he won't kill you when he has the perfect opportunity?"

"Okay," Fox hissed. "I get it, alright? You and Slippy hate him. And he ain't so fond of you guys, either. You've made your damn point." Fox couldn't explain, and Falco wouldn't understand. Feeling anger rising up within him, he tried his best to calm himself as he continued. "But you know what? He's not just some heartless criminal. He only lives the way he does because that's the only way for fugitives like him."

Falco glared as Fox continued his reprimands. "It doesn't benefit anyone when you guys stare at him like he's some sort of monster. If you're not going to help him feel welcome, then I guess I'm going to have to do it alone." Fox swiftly turned and began to leave the way he came.

Always wanting the last word, Falco replied to his back. "You're out of your damn mind, Fox!" But the vulpine was already out the door.

* * *

When Fox returned to the dining hall, everyone had left except Wolf, who was casually leaning against the doorway. Upon sight of the vulpine, he pushed himself off the metal, almost apologetically. When he wasn't slouched over, he was surprisingly tall - quite a bit taller than Fox, actually.

"I figure I should show you the main points of interest. Like you said, it's a pretty big ship, so I don't want you getting lost."

Wolf responded cooly. "Don't worry, I'm sure I won't get lost for long. Not with everybody watching my every move."

"It's awful, isn't it?" Wolf reluctantly smirked at Fox's comment, no doubt remembering the rant from the day before. They may have had their differences, but at least they could share a common disdain for the spotlight.

Fox beckoned to him from the doorway. "Let's go."

* * *

The vulpine realized this was the first time he'd had to give a tour of the ship since Krystal had joined the team. As Wolf followed him through the narrow halls, Fox felt a strange feeling that he couldn't quite identify. ...Excitement, maybe? No... After much thought, he decided he was ultimately just looking forward to finally proving that he wasn't as rude as Wolf thought he was.

The two rounded a corner in the hallway then slowed down. "Here are the living quarters..." - he motioned to his room, the door left open in his haste earlier, and then to Wolf's room - "...as you are...already aware. Right." He coughed awkwardly.

 _Off to a great start, bud. Fantastic work._

Down the hall he saw a glimpse of Falco in his room before the bird shut his door. Eager to avoid any more tense interactions, the vulpine turned around and left the way he came, motioning for the lupine to follow.

* * *

Fox showed Wolf a number of other boring rooms before the two found themselves before a set of stairs.

"This leads to the bridge."

Wolf followed him up the steps to discover the wide, hexagonal room with its windows in a wide arc. Peppy was seated in his tall chair at the front of the room, calmly pushing buttons in an all-too-familiar fashion.

"Hey, Peppy."

The old rabbit briefly eyed the two before resuming his work. "Hey, Fox."

"What are you up to?" The vulpine approached the control panel curiously.

"Just prepping the ship for our stop on Corneria."

"Right! I was going to ask you - how long till we get there?"

"Not long. We're pretty close now." He flipped another switch and studied the readout of a display. "About three hours or so."

Fox's eyes widened. "What!? Three _hours_?"

"Maybe even two if we're lucky. We just passed through the Sargasso region." Fox felt his stomach drop. His time with Wolf would be severely shortened.

"Doesn't it usually take at least three full days?"

"Fox, it's _been_ three days," Peppy explained. "You were out cold for almost an entire day yourself." The vulpine raised his eyebrows, realization dawning on him as the rabbit continued. "Plus, we typically complete missions in neighboring regions along the way to any destination, but with your ship needing dire repairs" -he glanced at Wolf momentarily- "we must reach Corneria as soon as possible, so we've flown a more direct flight path than usual."

Fox's ears dropped a bit after hearing of this unexpected development. He wondered what General Pepper would think of their surprise rescue mission. Unless...

"Peppy...you didn't tell General Pepper about all this, right?" Fox asked. If the general knew that the galaxy's most wanted criminal was on the Great Fox, who knows how he would react?

"About Wolf?" Peppy eyed him for a moment. "Well, no..." Fox sighed in relief - "...I figured I'd let you do the honors, considering it was ultimately your choice to keep him aboard in the first place." - and followed his sigh with a gulp.

 _Great. Now Wolf knows I was lying yesterday._ He glanced towards Wolf who sent him a look as if to respond: _Don't look so surprised. You couldn't have fooled me._

"But Fox," Peppy continued, "you need to inform the General soon. He really ought to know." Fox hesitated for a moment, then nodded soberly. General Pepper would find out in no more than three hours, anyway - far too soon for Fox's tastes.

But why was he bothered by this? After all, he would finally be rid of the burden of dealing with his rival. Everything could return back to normal.

 _Is that what I want, though?_ He pondered the question as Wolf made his way to the stairs, motioning for the vulpine to follow. _Should things really go back to the way they were before?_

"McCloud." Wolf's voice shook him out of his thoughts. "Snap out of it. Let's go."

* * *

The two descended the stairs and eventually made their way to the hangar. What awaited them was a row of Arwings beneath a dim strip of light across the ceiling. Wolf scoffed with a hint of jealousy. "Well, you may have Arwings, but at least _our_ base's hangar had decent lighting."

"And now that hangar has an extra space for a..." Fox immediately shut himself up when Wolf spun around aggressively.

"For a what?"

 _For a new ship._

"Nothing."

Wolf studied him for another moment, eye narrowed. "That's right," he growled.

 _Way to screw it up again, Fox._

If the vulpine didn't check himself, this tour would only result in him offending Wolf further. Fox began to stammer in preparation of an apology but he was interrupted by the lupine, whose attention had been caught by something else.

"Who flies that one?" He cocked his head towards the Arwing on the far end of the hangar.

"Oh, that one's mine." With everything else going on recently Fox had almost forgotten how badly his precious ship had been damaged, but seeing it in its mangled state now caused him to feel a strange mixture of guilt and pity.

Wolf tried to conceal his wonder as he approached the vehicle, unfazed by the shattered windshield and the missing wing. "So this is it, then. The ship that shot me out of the sky." He placed his palm against the only patch of alloy that had kept its luster - a reflective spot right next to the burn mark Wolf himself had caused many years ago. Through the reflection Fox could see a glimpse of childlike wonder shining on the lupine's face, shadowed by a deep and heavy grief.

Suddenly he regained his composure, tearing his hand from the metal as if it were deceptively hot. "Hmph." He tried to play it off casually - perhaps embarrassed by his unexpected lapse in restraint - and strolled away with his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants. "It looks like garbage."

Fox smirked. "Garbage or not, it saved my life."

Wolf took another look at the scrap of a wing Fox had crafted on the surface. "Is that...is that from my ship?"

"...Oh." Fox had nearly forgotten about the wooden plank and metal sheet, still nailed into the wing stub on the right side. "Yeah."

The lupine froze. "How the hell did you get that?"

"When Falco and I went down to the surface to retrieve you, my ship couldn't get me back up to the Great Fox because my wing had been shot off." He studied the makeshift wing as he continued. "I noticed your ship's wing had fallen off nearby, and it was about the same shape and size as the real thing, so..."

"But how did you nail it onto your ship?"

Fox shrugged. "I just heated the alloy with my blaster, then hammered the nails in with the other side of the gun."

Wolf stared at him, eye wide in disbelief.

"What?" Fox found himself strangely uncomfortable with meeting his stare in return.

"Nothing." Wolf turned towards the ship again. "That's just...impressive. That's all."

Having expected a snarky remark, Fox was taken by surprise. "You know, I think that's the first time you've ever complimented me."

Wolf didn't even look at the vulpine this time, instead focusing intently on the shattered windshield. "Don't get used to it." He stepped away from the wrecked ship, hands in his pockets again. "You know what? Never in my life did I think I'd ever get to see your ship up close, McCloud."

"Or touch it, for that matter," Fox replied. Wolf raised an eyebrow as the vulpine continued. "My Arwing. I mean...I meant, it's not every day you get to see, uh, your rival's-"

"I know what you meant. Quit your babbling." Wolf grinned, no doubt taking delight in Fox's awkward rambling before quickly changing the subject. "What time is it? I'm hungry."

"Already?" Fox smoothed his fur awkwardly as he checked his watch: _11:09_. They had about an hour and a half until they landed on Corneria.

"I guess we've got time to eat lunch before we drop you off."

"Then let's go. I'm starving."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES**

Welp. In terms of interactions between Fox and Wolf, things are going...well? I guess? There are a few important bits of information I'd like to cover.

This chapter is essentially the beginning of Fox's realization of "hey, Wolf ain't so bad after all," along with the subtle hope that Wolf thinks the same thing about Fox himself. It certainly seems like the two are getting along and finding common ground; the banter between them is gradually becoming less cut-throat and more friendly, and it's clear that Fox is beginning to enjoy Wolf's company more than he cares to admit.

Speaking of enjoying Wolf's company - Fox still hasn't noticed (nor is he concerned by) how well Krystal has hit it off with the lupine.

This chapter further paints Falco as a potential antagonist, in a sense. Fox and Krystal are clearly pro-Wolf at this point, whereas Falco and Slippy (to a lesser extent) are still convinced Wolf has a diabolical plan in store for them all. It's hard to tell which side is right at this point, because Krystal inexplicably _still_ refuses to divulge any information she may have gotten through reading Wolf's mind. What's the deal with her?

One of the important "closer = better understood" moments is when Wolf approaches Fox's Arwing and sees the makeshift wing; it genuinely impresses Wolf when he learns that Fox was able to think so creatively on the fly - not only how he used the scrap wing, but more importantly how he nailed it to his ship with nothing but a blaster pistol. Every one of these moments reveals something important about one (or both) of the characters that will hopefully lead to some interesting interactions later on.

This was a very interesting chapter to write for me because I needed to find the fine line between hate and friendship, then _write on that line and that line alone._ Fox and Wolf aren't mortal enemies anymore, but they're definitely not best buds just yet. Interactions between the two are still very forced/awkward simply because there's a lot of "testing the waters" going on (e.g. Wolf complimenting Fox for the first time, the joking about the hangar, Fox trying to make small-talk at breakfast, etc). They're both learning with every misstep, every awkward pause, every social queue, and neither of them quite yet know how their personality is going to be received by the other.

Thank you guys for your patience! It's been a pleasantly busy summer, but unfortunately that means I haven't had as much time to devote to this story as I'd hoped. Worry not, though! I _will_ finish this. Some day. Eventually.

And, as always, please let me know what you think, what you disliked, where you think the story will go, where you _want_ the story to go, etc. etc. Any and all feedback is highly appreciated.

Thanks again!

-Gerlakus

( PS: in the first section when Fox is asking Wolf where he wants to be dropped off, making the lupine venture _"_ into the closet" to find clothes was entirely intentional. :-P )


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

When the two had returned to the dining hall, it was empty.

"I guess it ain't lunchtime, huh?" Wolf noted, relieved by the absence of the other members.

"They usually eat around 12," Fox replied, placing two empty bowls inside the food mixer, pressing some buttons, and watching as the behemoth came to life. "We've got some time before they get here." The gargantuan machine worked for a moment longer before coming to a stop with its signature clicks and cheerful beeps. The vulpine opened the unit and pulled out two bowls, now miraculously filled with an unidentifiable substance.

"I don't think we'll be here long enough to run into them," Wolf commented. Though the two meals were no more than indiscriminate piles of red chunks, their zesty fragrance was enough to make Wolf's mouth water in anticipation. As soon as Fox placed a bowl in front of the lupine, he didn't hesitate to snatch it up and dig in, treating his meal as if it were some unruly prey. By the time Fox had sat down with his own bowl and taken a bite, Wolf had cleared nearly half of his own.

"I guess that's where the expression 'wolfing your food down' came from," Fox joked; his guest was practically inhaling his meal, using his hands in place of silverware.

Wolf paused long enough to spit out a retort through a mouth full of red chunks. "Shut it. I'm hungry."

"Why didn't you eat anything this morning?"

Another pause as he took a gulp. "I wasn't hungry then."

"And all of a sudden you're ravenous?"

"Yes." The lupine took another bite, this time slightly smaller. He had slowed his pace, but only slightly.

"That makes no sense. You were obviously hungry this morning too. Why didn't you eat your breakfast?"

"I..." Wolf stopped to chew. "...didn't feel like eating." He swallowed. "With them."

His response puzzled Fox for a moment. "When everybody's watching? I guess I can understand."

"Well, yeah..." He stopped eating. "When your every move is monitored? Sure, you can understand that just as well as I can. But at least _your_ every move is praised." He resumed eating his meal, talking through a full mouth. "When I do things and everybody's watching? All they do is judge."

 _Maybe because you're eating with your hands instead of using silverware...?_

"That's absurd. Who would judge you for how you eat your breakfast?"

Wolf shrugged. "Your team would find a way." He took another bite, either because he was still hungry, or perhaps because he had nothing left to say. Through all these small incidents, Fox was slowly coming to realize just how poorly his team was treating Wolf. It filled him not only with irritation, but also with a hint of guilt.

"I'll talk to them about it."

"Don't bother." Wolf swallowed the final bite and eyed his reflection in the empty bowl. "It's not worth putting yourself in jeopardy. Besides, I'm only going to be around for..." - he glanced at Fox's watch - "...what, another half hour?"

Fox did the same, nodding. _12:02_. "Well alright, if you say so. Still though, I'm sorry you've had to deal with that. I expect better from them."

Wolf dismissed the thought with a wave of his hand before hearing footsteps coming from the hall. "Speak of the devil..." he spoke the words nonchalantly, but his motions said otherwise. He stood and hurried to return his tray. "I should tidy up that room before I go."

"I doubt there's anything to tidy in there," Fox replied, but Wolf was already gone. The vulpine stood up to leave as well, torn between greeting his team and following his guest. He certainly wanted to chew the others out for their recent behavior, but he remembered Wolf's words with resignation.

 _It's not worth it._

Fox turned towards the hall through which Wolf had left.

 _He's leaving soon anyway._

He turned back towards the hall from which the others would soon appear, their footsteps getting louder.

 _This is the last chance to see him._

He rolled his eyes upon hearing fragments of yet another heated debate between Slippy and Falco on the validity of barrel rolls in tunnels.

 _I guess I should make the most of it._

The vulpine had made up his mind; not even bothering to clean up his half-eaten meal, he stood up and briskly followed in Wolf's direction, his tail swishing side to side to compensate for his quickened pace.

* * *

Wolf had taken a roundabout path to the living quarters in order to avoid the rest of Fox's team. The vulpine was impressed by how quickly his rival had learned the layout of the ship that he himself, all those years ago, had taken at least a week to become familiar with. Fox may have been the more knowledgeable of the two, but it was clear that Wolf was the faster learner.

After many twists and turns he finally returned to the living quarters. Wolf had left the door to his room open and was doing his best to make the bed.

"You really don't have to do that," Fox said from the doorway after some time.

Wolf jumped at the sound of the voice, doing his best to conceal his surprise. "There's no way I'm going to just leave the blankets in a pile like this."

"Fine." The vulpine shrugged. "Suit yourself." As Wolf continued to make the bed, Fox found himself studying the lupine from behind; his tank top happened to show off his physique in ways the medical gown hadn't. The vulpine realized that Wolf was actually quite well-built - even better so than himself, he reluctantly admitted. Though Fox had shown more skill as a pilot over the years, there was no doubt Wolf had the physical advantage. The mere thought of ever having to fight him in a close-quarters situation filled him with dread.

A sharp ring filled the cabin and shook him from his thoughts, followed by Peppy's voice crunching through the intercom on the ceiling. _"Attention, team! We're about to arrive at Corneria City Interplanetary Spaceport. Please report to the bridge in 5 minutes."_ The hare repeated the message, then silence.

"Does he always announce things so formally?" Wolf asked.

"He tends to go by the books. More than we do, at least." Fox invited himself into the room. "Probably a holdover from his early days with the team."

"Mmh." Wolf laid the blankets down one last time and fluffed the pillow. Fox took a seat on the edge of the newly-made bed; Wolf did the same, taking the space next to the vulpine and studying the floor intently.

Awkward silence ensued, during which Fox caught himself studying the lupine yet again. From such close proximity, he could see that Wolf's fur was thicker than his own - probably not as soft, but certainly more abundant. There was an unruly white tuft peeking out of the top of the muscle shirt that caught his eye.

He wondered what it must've felt like to have that much fur. Would it help combat the cold of Fichina? Would it get tangled more easily? Would it take longer to wash in the shower?

"Well...I guess this is it," Wolf said finally, pulling Fox back to reality.

"Yeah..." He was having more trouble saying goodbye than he thought he would.

 _Come on, Fox. Don't make this into such a big deal._

As crazy as it sounded, a small part of him actually didn't even want Wolf to leave. These last few days had made Fox realize the lupine was living the way he did not out of malice, but out of necessity. It was really the only way anybody could survive when the entire system wanted them dead.

Speaking of...

"So, what _are_ you going to do when you get to Corneria?"

The question made Wolf stop fidgeting. "I don't know." He paused. "I haven't given it much thought."

"That's a lie. It's been on your mind this entire time."

"Fine." He put his hands up in resignation. "You're right. But just 'cause I've been thinking about it doesn't mean I've figured it out." He sighed. It seemed like he wanted to go on, but Fox didn't pry him for more info.

The vulpine was reminded of his vow to make amends with Wolf today, and he was running out of time. He had some things to say, and they had to be said now - or he would regret it for the rest of his life.

He inhaled, ready to speak, then caught his breath and exhaled again. Eventually he found the courage to address his rival.

"...Wolf?"

"Yeah...?"

"...Thanks." Fox said it before he could even think about stopping himself.

Wolf raised an eyebrow. "...For...?"

"For..." He hesitated. "For not trying to kill me, I guess." Wolf simply blinked in response. "We - they expected you to try to take advantage of the situation. They thought you'd try to catch me off guard and get me once and for all. I'm glad you proved them wrong."

"Huh. Of all the things to be wrong about, I guess that ain't so bad." Wolf thought for a moment before continuing, albeit reluctantly. "But really, I should be the one doing the thanking."

Fox's ears perked. "For what?"

"'For what?' Are you serious right now?" Wolf could only laugh at Fox's oblivion. "Well first of all, you kind of, I dunno, _saved my life?_ I know it was hours and I daresay _days_ ago, but don't tell me you've already forgotten." Fox smirked but didn't say anything. "Second, you've taken me in and basically guaranteed my safe travel to Corneria, against your teammates' objections and beyond all reason."

"It wasn't beyond all reason-"

"It was. I refuse to believe there was any logical rationale behind you keeping me on board." He paused. "Unless there's something you're not telling me."

Fox thought for a moment, refusing to make eye contact.

 _He thinks I'm hiding something._

"No." Though it had ended up well in the end, Fox really couldn't think why he'd decided to keep him around. Considering his recent luck, he would figure it out as soon as Wolf stepped off the ship and out of his life again. How ironic.

"Are you sure?"

 _I think something's hiding itself._

"Yes."

Wolf thought for a moment and sighed quietly. Another silence. Fox would've done anything to have known what was going through Wolf's mind. The lupine could only be wondering the same about Fox.

The intercom startled them as it crackled to life once again. _"Attention all pilots! Please report to the bridge immediately."_ As Peppy repeated the message, Wolf and Fox shared a look.

"Has it been 5 minutes already?"

Fox glanced at his watch and frowned. "More than 5. We're late."

"Huh." Another moment of silence. "Well. We shouldn't keep 'em waiting." Wolf stood and made his way towards the doorway. "Let's go."

* * *

They were the last to arrive at the bridge.

"Sorry, guys." Fox quickly seated himself in the last remaining chair along the narrow table. A blue-green planet loomed over the team through the bridge's spacious windows as the Great Fox rapidly approached. Wolf watched from the corner of the room as the planet grew closer, casually leaning on the only section of wall that was free of buttons and knobs.

"Look who decided to finally show up." Falco jabbed Fox jokingly. "Thought you got murdered or something."

Fox was about to respond hotly when Peppy cleared his voice and began to speak. "Alright, are we all clear on our tasks before we land?" Everybody nodded, except Fox and Wolf. "Then you're free to leave. We should be at the spaceport in about 20 minutes."

"Home sweet home," Falco said with a contented sigh. "It'll be nice to finally chill out for a few days."

"I've been meaning to go to that junkyard outside the city," Slippy interjected excitedly as he stood up. "I'll be able to get those parts and fix ROB 64 again!" The two continued to discuss their plans as they left the bridge.

"What did I miss, Peppy?" Fox continued to sit apologetically in the chair across from Krystal.

"Oh, just the usual landing procedures. Inventory, repairs, governmental correspondence, that kind of thing..." Peppy was interrupted by a beeping on his wrist. "Oh?" He looked down at his flashing comm with mild curiosity, inspecting the tiny screen for the caller ID. His squinted eyes widened with surprise as he processed the name flashing on the device. "General Pepper?!"

"Huh?" Fox perked up. "Since when does he call your comm directly?"

"Never," the rabbit replied. "It must be important." He touched the screen, brought the device to his face, and spoke in his trademark official tone.

"Sir...? Yes, this is Hare speaking...Why yes, we're actually in the process of landing at CCIS right now. Is...Sir, is something wrong...?"

Fox shot Wolf a worried look; the lupine returned it.

 _Does General Pepper know?_

Krystal was about to leave when she sensed the sudden unease in the room and stopped in her tracks. Every minute provided more and more detail to the swirling clouds covering the planet as the Great Fox neared the end of its journey.

After a tense silence, the rabbit raised his eyebrows. "Oh really? What perfect timing!...Yes, of course." Krystal perked her ears, as if she'd heard a startling sound, and began to watch Peppy intently. "I believe that can be arranged. I'll ask her and get back to..." He looked at Krystal, who was already nodding knowingly. "...It seems that Krystal has agreed to come with us...Yes, as soon as we land...Yes sir...Of course. Thank _you,_ sir." He lowered the comm, pressed a button, and with a beep the screen faded to black.

Fox was quick to break the silence. "What was that all about?"

"General Pepper just informed me that the Cornerian Defense Force has captured one of their most-wanted criminals. Apparently he was intercepted while trying to rob a shop on the outskirts of Corneria City, and they want me and Krystal to lead an interrogation."

"Wait, they want Krystal to read his mind?" Fox inquired. "He must be a pretty important guy."

"He's been associated with a number of other, more serious crimes over the years," Krystal responded. "There's a reason why the CDF has been pursuing him for so long."

Fox let out a breath he wasn't aware of holding. It seemed Wolf was still a secret - at least for now.

"So," Peppy continued, "this changes our plans a bit." He consulted what appeared to be a checklist. "Let's see...Slippy's agreed to oversee ship repairs, Falco's going to run inventory on our medical supplies, but now Krystal and I are going to conduct that interrogation...and..."

There was an uncomfortable silence as Peppy eyed the lupine, who was paying no attention to the proceedings; Wolf simply continued to lean against the wall in the corner, watching intently through the window as his destination grew closer and closer.

The rabbit cleared his throat. "Mr. O'Donnell?" The sound of the lupine's name shook him from his thoughts. He focused his violet eye upon Peppy as he continued. "Where did you want to be dropped off?"

Wolf uncrossed his arms, pushed himself off the wall, and stood with his hands behind his back politely. "Corneria City will work."

The hare raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's the safest place for...for someone like you?"

"It certainly isn't," Wolf admitted. "But I don't want to endanger you and your team any more than I already have. I can't imagine the repercussions of such a respectable mercenary team knowingly granting asylum to a wanted criminal."

Fox gulped. Wolf was right - the longer he stayed on board the ship, the more likely somebody would find out. Star Fox would likely find themselves in serious legal trouble as a result.

Peppy's face dropped in thinly-veiled horror, while Krystal simply stared at Wolf confusedly. The ship had entered the atmosphere and was now dipping beneath the clouds, illuminating the bridge with white light.

"I never thought about it that way..." The rabbit shook his head nervously. "Oh dear. And here I was earlier this morning encouraging Fox to inform the general at once."

He shot a look towards the vulpine, who was watching the conversation tensely. "Fox? You haven't told him, have you?"

"Of course not," he was quick to reply. "I wouldn't throw you all under the bus like that."

"Phew." Peppy sighed. "Well, then I suppose we'll have to figure out how best to, uh..."

"Smuggle him off of here?" Fox suggested wryly.

"...Well yes, for lack of a better word." Peppy ran his hands along his ears nervously. "The entire ship is likely to be inspected as soon as we land, as per protocol. I'm just trying to think how to best approach this situation..."

Fox waved his hand in dismissal. "Don't worry, Peppy. We'll take care of it. You and Krystal need to focus on this interrogation of yours."

Peppy hesitated for a moment, looking between Fox and Wolf several times, before nodding. "...Alright. I trust your judgment, Fox." He lowered his voice. "But whatever you do, _don't get caught._ Nobody will be safe if you do. Not me, not Wolf, not Star Fox..." The rabbit was nearly whispering now. "And _especially_ not you."

Fox nodded somberly. "I won't let you down."

"Good." The rabbit was immediately back to his usual self, as if somebody had flipped a switch. The ship had left the cloud layer, and Corneria's brilliant, blue-green landscape could now be seen in striking detail through the windows. Rivers, forests, cities, mountains - it was by far the most beautiful planet the vulpine had ever known.

Peppy turned to Krystal. "Alright, Krystal, let's discuss our strategy."

His words shook her out of her thoughts. "Oh! Yes. The types of questions we ask will depend heavily on the first impression we get upon meeting the prisoner..."

Fox checked his watch as she continued to detail her plan. _12:45 local time,_ it read. They would be landing any second now; he needed to take this time to plan Wolf's escape.

He began to make his way towards the doorway, beckoning for Wolf to join. Krystal and Peppy quickly lost themselves in their conversation while the other two exited, ready to plan Wolf's escape.

* * *

" _Whoo-ee_ , this thing's a _mess_."

The mechanic whistled in awe at the state of Fox's Arwing, examining the damage one more time. Under the garage's bright ceiling lamps, the ship looked even worse than it had in the dim lighting of the Great Fox's hangar.

"It's seen better days for sure," Fox admitted. He'd dressed himself in unassuming civilian clothes, even going as far as wearing sunglasses for maximum anonymity. When it came to disguising himself from the public eye, he didn't take any chances.

"I usually fly each ship into the garage on my own, like I did with the others," the simian explained, "but it's been a long time since I've had to actually tow one in like this."

"I bet." Fox didn't know how to contribute to the conversation; he was far too preoccupied with Wolf's escape to devote his attention to small-talk.

"Well anyways, here's the deal. The repairs on this ship are going to take far longer than usual. I'm thinking somewhere around two or three days."

"That's fine by me," the vulpine replied. "I won't be needing it for a while."

"Good to hear." The monkey checked his comm, which had suddenly sprang to life with flashes and beeps. "Alright, I've got to get going here. I'll give you a ring when all these repairs are complete. Now if you'll excuse me, mister...?"

"Gray," Fox was quick to reply. "Marcus Gray." It was the pseudonym Fox always used whilst in public.

"Alright, Mr. Gray. Thanks for your business - I'll see you soon." He scurried off towards a toolbox on the opposite side of the garage and began to rummage through it, grumbling to himself about a wrench he'd been looking for all day.

Fox checked his watch again. _13:35 local time_. With the mechanic's attention somewhere else, the coast was as clear as it was ever going to be. Leaning casually against his Arwing, Fox blipped his comm, coughed twice, then shut it off again.

A moment later, a certain lupine emerged silently from the cockpit of the ship; he expertly avoided the broken shards of glass lining the metal of the formerly-present windshield. Had he opened the hatch, the sound of the airlock would have certainly alerted the mechanic and blown his cover. Who would've thought something as tragic as the damage done to Fox's ship would've ended up allowing for such a perfect escape?

 _There's a silver lining to everything, I guess._

Wolf's silver fur shone brightly against the lights of the garage as he leapt from the ship and landed silently on the ground below. Fox hadn't expected Wolf's movements to be so graceful; he watched, captivated, as Wolf picked a piece of the shattered windshield from the fabric of his tank top.

"Man, I didn't realize how much glass was still inside that thing," he whispered.

Fox was shaken from his thoughts. "I never got a chance to clean it." He beckoned for Wolf to follow him to the door as the two stealthily made their escape. "I've been busy with other things."

"Things like me," the lupine retorted. "I don't blame you. I know I'm a handful."

Fox smirked. "As I'm now well aware." It had been Wolf's idea to smuggle himself off of the ship via the damaged Arwing. Fox had been skeptical of the plan, but the lupine had persuaded him that it would work, and they both knew that there was no other way to get him off board safely.

"How the hell did you know he'd tow my ship, anyways?" Fox asked as the two exited the garage and made their way through the hallway.

"This ain't my first dogfight," Wolf replied with a grin. "A mechanic will usually fly ships to the garage himself, but if it's deemed unsafe to do so..." He cocked his head towards the door from which they came. "...Then he'll usually bring a bigger ship to tow it instead."

"Didn't think you'd know something like that. I sure didn't." Fox wasn't afraid to admit that he was impressed by Wolf's knowledge.

The lupine raised an eyebrow. "It's practically common knowledge. Have you ever done any mechanic work, McCloud?"

"Nope."

Wolf paused. "Ah."

"I assume you have, then?"

"I assume every mercenary has." The lupine combed another glass shard out of the fur behind his head. "Though now that I think about it, I guess it makes sense that you've always had mechanics to do the work for you. I personally just couldn't afford to hire anyone."

"I'm getting the impression that you're a do-it-yourself kind of guy. That would explain that handiwork on your old ship, eh?" Fox thought back to the hodge-podge of miscellaneous parts that had nearly shot him out of the sky on Fichina.

Wolf sighed. "Yeah. I guess you're right." Fox opened the door at the end of the hall and beckoned the lupine through. The two left the building and were immediately greeted by the sights and sounds of the bustling city.

"Well...looks like we're here."

"Yeah." Fox sighed.

 _End of the line, bud._

The truth of the matter was that Fox really didn't want to say goodbye. Not quite yet. Then again, he had some errands to run while he was here in town...

"Say..." Wolf perked up as Fox continued. "I know Peppy wanted me to let you go now, but...I mean, I've still got a busy day ahead of me here...so..."

Wolf simply blinked in response.

"So..." Fox paused again, even more awkwardly this time. "I mean...you're free to join me. If you want. If not, that's fine."

 _Wait, what the hell? That's not what I was supposed to say._

Fox realized that he wanted Wolf to stay far more than he should have.

 _You're supposed to be relieved that he's gone, not that he's staying._

He really shouldn't have been holding on to Wolf like he was. He had to remind himself that they were rivals, and he shouldn't be expecting - let alone hoping for - anything other than a formal farewell and a parting of ways.

But...

Something felt different now. After the events of the last few days, he admitted with reluctance that he actually... _enjoyed_ spending time with Wolf?

 _What the hell is wrong with you?_

But it felt so right to stay with him. To spend more time with him. To get to know him.

After some time, perhaps too long, Wolf had made up his mind. "I guess there's no harm in that. Might as well."

Fox's ears perked back up and he felt satisfaction bubble inside of him, followed by a pang of worry.

 _Something's definitely not right here._

The vulpine didn't care; he was too preoccupied with the day's plans to focus on whatever was bothering him.

"Well." He clasped his hands cheerfully. "In that case, we've got plenty to do here in the city. Let's go."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES**

What's that? Yet _another_ chapter of boring dialogue? *grumble grumble*. But hey, now that the two are off the ship they'll be able to have some fun around town!

This chapter is essentially the continuation of the previous chapter, in the sense that Fox is continuing to discover his feelings for Wolf. He compares himself to Wolf multiple times (e.g. "his fur is thicker, but mine's probably softer," "he's a fast learner, but I probably know more," "I'm a better pilot, but he has a physical advantage," etc). Fox and Wolf's rivalry has always been focused on competition, so it's only natural for Fox to compare himself to the lupine whenever he can.

Fox is also starting to notice that what he's feeling for Wolf is _not_ what he's used to. He hasn't quite made the connection yet, but he's certainly on his way to doing so. As the two interact further in the city, he's likely going to have his "oh crap" moment and realize exactly what his feelings for Wolf really mean.

And, on what I swear is an entirely unrelated note, I have a question for you guys: what are your views on mature content? Should I include some of the more *cough* adult scenes? Or should I just heavily imply them? On one hand I want to satisfy my audience if they really do want to read them, but if most of them would be turned away by such content I'd be better off avoiding it. So, right now I'm just trying to get a feel for what you guys would like to see in future installments.

Thoughts? Please let me know! And as always, thank you for your continued support and feedback.

-Gerlakus


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Corneria City bustled with all manner of life. Vehicles honked as they zoomed through the wide streets, swerving in and out of lanes without hesitation. Pedestrians hurried along the crowded sidewalks, as if collectively late for their respective engagements. A crisp autumn breeze combed through Fox's fur; he sighed contentedly as he continued strolling down the path. Wolf found it difficult to walk alongside the vulpine in the dense crowd, so he followed closely behind instead.

"Hiding in plain sight," Wolf explained over the vulpine's shoulder. "No one expects someone like Wolf O'Donnell to walk around in public like this."

"Yeah, but the problem is that you still _look_ like Wolf O'Donnell." Fox turned, stopping both of them in their tracks. "We need to get you something else to wear."

Wolf guffawed dramatically. "What, you don't approve of my outfit?"

Fox couldn't help but look down at Wolf's tank top, which showed a good deal of his physique. It even exposed a sizable amount of his firm chest, including the tuft of white fur. It wasn't that it looked bad, necessarily...

 _What?_

"It makes you look rough around the edges," Fox replied, quickly resuming eye contact. "That's going to attract all sorts of attention, especially downtown."

"So?" The lupine adjusted his sunglasses, and for a brief moment his eyepatch was visible. "I'm used to attention."

Fox's tone hardened. "If you were on your own? Sure. I'd say wear whatever you want. But I'm not risking _my_ reputation being caught with you. If people found out..."

"All right, all _right_." The lupine cut him off with a wave of his hand. "I'll get some new clothes. But you're paying for them."

Fox was about to protest, paused for a moment, then exhaled. "Yeah, okay. That's fair." He smirked. "Like you have any money anyways."

"Don't act like you don't owe me bigtime, pal."

The vulpine was about to respond rudely, but Wolf had lost interest in the conversation, eyeing a nearby clothing store instead. _Closet Corneria_ , it read.

"Pfft. What a corny name."

Fox saw his opportunity and he took it, grinning. "I think you mean: what a _corny-ria_ name."

The lupine narrowed his eye in disgust. "You don't even deserve a reply for that."

"Except the one you just gave me."

Wolf was clearly unamused. Angry, even. For a heart-stopping moment Fox actually thought he'd offended his guest and was going to be murdered right then and there for his atrocious wordplay.

However, after some time the lupine's expression softened. "What? You thought I was mad?" He chuckled.

Fox stammered. "I...I didn't know what to expect. Most people don't care much for puns, but I didn't think you'd-"

Wolf waved his hand in dismissal. "Whatever. Let's go in here. Sure, the name is ridiculous, but we might as well take a look." Before Fox could even reply, his guest was already in the door. The vulpine blinked for a moment as he processed what had just happened, before following him into the building with a sigh.

* * *

"You almost done in there?"

Wolf's voice called back from within the fitting room. "Patience, pup."

Fox huffed and continued to sit on the bench outside the room, fiddling with his comm absentmindedly. He didn't like having nothing to occupy his time; it made him dwell on his thoughts.

 _Thoughts such as..._

Fox felt something simmer deep inside of him.

 _Wolf?_

For his entire life, whether it be schoolwork or his job, Fox's singular focus had always been on the task at hand. He'd never had time to be social, let alone wanted time to be social. It only detracted from time he could've been spending perfecting his sharpshooting skills, or studying the anatomy of a B-class Cornerian mobile HQ, or learning any number of other useful things.

He used to have occasional feelings about Krystal, when he first met her. She was undeniably beautiful, and it would throw him off balance every once in a while as "urges" would surface here and there. However, Fox had trained himself well to prevent such instincts from interfering with his work. Krystal could sense it, and she understood. So, for the next few years there were no more incidents.

And then, this.

The sensation itself wasn't foreign to him - it was simply the sheer scale on which he was feeling it that was throwing him off. He was getting to the point where he could barely interact with Wolf anymore without his emotions suffocating him.

 _No._ Fox shook his head in dismissal of such a ridiculous thought. It wasn't that. It could't be that, because Fox didn't feel that way - about anybody, certainly, but _especially_ not about Wolf O'Donnell. He was still Fox's nemesis, so it was understandable that the vulpine was still a little on-edge around him; it would take more than a few days of getting along to repair the years of animosity between them. As soon as Fox grew more comfortable interacting with him, the adrenaline would go away, and his nerves would finally calm themselves, and everything could finally go back to normal.

"McCloud."

The vulpine jumped in surprise at the voice, and he looked up sharply. Wolf had chosen white sneakers, baggy jeans, and a grungy, oversized T-shirt. Fox couldn't help but burst out into laughter at how ridiculous the whole thing looked.

"Dear lord," the vulpine finally said, regaining his breath. "I give you ten minutes to choose your outfit, and _this_ is the result?"

The lupine was less than pleased. "You got something against it?"

"Plenty." Fox wiped a tear from his eye. "Where do I even start? I don't think any of what you chose was ever, at any point in time, in style."

"Style?" The lupine scoffed. "You care about _style_?"

"I have to! I've made public appearances for Lylat since I was eighteen. It wasn't a choice. Regardless, I'd still care enough to avoid awful jeans and an equally-awful T."

"Good for you. _I_ prefer function over form. Simple tastes."

Fox shook his head. "You can have both, you know."

"So what? I told you. I don't care about fashion."

"Trust me." He beckoned Wolf back towards the clothing racks, and the lupine reluctantly followed. "You need to dress to fit in. And how do you do that? " Fox pulled a shirt off of a nearby clothing rack and tossed it towards Wolf. "You wear what the general public would wear."

The lupine caught it haphazardly. "So, trendy civilian clothes?"

"Nuh-uh." Fox dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. "That would paint you as an upper class citizen. You'd get all sorts of attention from the wrong kinds of people." The vulpine picked out another shirt, handed it to Wolf, and rummaged through a rack of pants as he continued. "Granted, most of them would only want your money, but a few of the more astute observers would see right through your disguise and notify the authorities instead. We need something less assuming."

Wolf narrowed his eye. "Then what the hell do you want me to wear?" He looked down at what he was holding. "Certainly not this garbage you've picked out for me?"

Fox ignored the comment and dropped a pair of dark slacks into the steadily-growing pile of clothes the lupine was carrying. "Middle-to-lower-class office worker chic is all the rage these days."

Wolf stared at him in disbelief. "You're joking right now."

"You'll be thanking me once you start walking around the city and nobody bats an eye."

Wolf tossed the clothes back at Fox stubbornly. "I'm not going to play dress-up for you just because you think it'll help me keep a low profile."

"Oh yeah?" The vulpine was becoming impatient. "Have you ever even _been_ in this city before, Wolf? No matter what you say or think, the truth of the matter is that people around here judge others by their appearance, and clothing is the easiest way to change that."

"Keep your voice down, why don't ya?" Wolf's eye darted left and right as a bystander glanced their way.

"Do you want attention, Wolf?"

"No. I mean, ye- _no!_ " The lupine was flustered. "Not from the public-"

"Then here's the deal, pal." Fox's voice was dripping with condescension. "This city is my home. I grew up here. I know what I'm talking about. You clearly don't. For someone who hates the spotlight just as much as I do, you're awfully bad at hiding from it."

"You've got a lot of nerve to say-"

"Nuh-uh. You're gonna listen to me now," Wolf growled quietly as Fox continued in a harsh whisper. "You do as I say, and you get to tag along. But I sure as hell am _not_ going to risk my own safety because you're too stubborn to put on a goddamn pair of slacks and a polo. Got it?"

Wolf stared Fox down, teeth still bared. Fox returned the favor with a comparable expression. The two remained that way for a tense moment, neither daring to speak. The vulpine desperately tried to hide how much adrenaline was coursing through his veins and how rapidly his heart was hammering in his chest. Interacting with Wolf in such a way was almost too much for him to handle.

 _Jeez, he's so-_

"Fine." Wolf snatched the clothes back and turned towards the fitting rooms, no expression in his voice. "I'll try your stupid outfit."

Fox exhaled quietly, responding over Wolf's shoulder. "It's only stupid until it works."

"We'll see about that."

* * *

"...Okay, fine. But it still looks stupid."

Wolf was wearing a dark polo, well-fitting slacks, a pair of sunglasses, and the strongest _I-am-not-amused_ expression Fox had ever seen.

"But it's working," the vulpine responded. The disguise was working far better than either of them had expected; the two had been wandering around town for over an hour without as much as a glance in their direction.

"I would've been fine without it. I'm used to people noticing me."

Fox smirked. "Aww, is poor wittle Wolfie sad because he's not the center of attention anymore?"

"I'm gonna kick your teeth out."

"Hey, you should be thankful that nobody bats an eye at the sight of a low-key office job professional."

The lupine simply crossed his arms and pouted. "I look like the kind of kid I'd beat up if I were in grade school." Fox was ashamed to admit it, but seeing Wolf so far out of his element was actually...cute?

 _Stop that._ It was not "cute." Wolf was not "cute". The situation was simply humorous - nothing more.

"Anyways," Fox continued, trying his best to rid himself of such thoughts. "I'm starving. Wanna get an early dinner?"

Wolf's ears perked slightly at the mention of food. "I guess. Sure."

The vulpine dramatically gestured towards the building conveniently located in front of them. "Voilà! Dinner."

"...at a sandwich joint?"

"Not just any old sandwich joint. My _favorite_ sandwich joint."

Wolf idly examined his nails. "If it's anything like your favorite clothing choices, then all bets are off."

Fox was starting to become irritated by the lupine's poor attitude. He was about to respond with another quip, but he stopped himself as he formed another plan. It was risky, but he was feeling bold.

He took a deep breath and turned to face Wolf. "Actually, you know what? It sounds like you're not too thrilled to eat here, so let's not." The lupine raised an eyebrow; Fox tried not to show any glimpse of emotion as he continued. "In fact, it sounds like you aren't really enjoying this excursion at _all_ , so I guess I should just let you go right here and we can say our goodbyes now, huh?"

The move was intended to be a bluff, but a part of Fox actually wanted him gone. Without Wolf around, he wouldn't have to deal with his strange feelings any longer. Things could go back to normal.

But, was that what he really wanted? To go back to normal? What was 'normal' anymore? Simply being around Wolf was turning Fox's entire identity upside-down. He was suddenly questioning every emotion he felt - emotions he didn't know he could even feel in the first place - and he'd only spent a matter of days with his guest. He didn't know if he liked it or not, but he knew one thing for sure - interacting with Wolf was exciting. It was better than slipping back into the depressingly-comfortable life he'd molded for himself over all these years.

The life he'd been living before fate had slapped him in the face.

"So. Make up your mind, Wolf."

For a split second Wolf's poker face betrayed him, and surprise flashed across his visage. He quickly tried to downplay the momentary lack of restraint, but it was too late; the vulpine had seen all he needed in order to confirm his suspicions, and his heart skipped a beat.

 _Wolf wants to stay._

There was a brief, uncomfortable silence as Fox analyzed the situation. A handful of butterflies quietly fluttered in his stomach.

 _Maybe just as badly as I do._

The vulpine wasn't about to call him out. If he did, then his own strange feelings might risk discovery. He could only imagine how mercilessly Wolf would mock him if he learned that the vulpine was still feeling nerves while interacting with him. He was planning on concealing his 'weakness' forever, for all he cared.

"Whatever you decide..." Fox turned his back to Wolf and faced the sandwich joint. "...Just know that I'm getting dinner right here, right now, no matter what you say, and you're free to join me if you so desire."

It took everything within him not to turn back around to see the expression on Wolf's face in that moment; instead, he entered the shop as nonchalantly as possible. The sound of the bell as he opened the door had been ingrained into his mind - a holdover from his childhood - and a wave of nostalgia overcame him.

"It's been too long," he whispered under his breath. He waited for the familiar click as the door closed behind him, but there was none. Turning around, he discovered that the door hadn't closed at all; a certain lupine had held it open and entered the shop himself.

"You can't get rid of me that easily, pup."

Fox smirked, secretly more pleased than he expected. "As if I thought I could."

"I hate you."

"I know. Let's eat."

* * *

"...Okay. Fine. It's not bad."

Wolf took another bite of his sandwich. The two were seated at a booth outside, enjoying the crisp air. Lylat was starting to hang lower in the sky and the shadows beneath the trees were beginning to lengthen.

"Told you so."

"Yeah. Okay." Wolf watched as vehicles zoomed along the nearby road. "I guess I shouldn't complain."

"It sure beats the stuff on the Great Fox, eh?"

"I actually didn't mind it that much," Wolf replied, returning his eye to the vulpine. "I don't know how much of it was just the fact that I was starving and physically compromised at the time, but I'm sure it could've been worse."

"You think so? I've always wished all the dishes had more flavor. I was surprised when Krystal gave you the most bland thing it can make."

"It tasted fine to me. You're probably just tired of it because of you've been stuck with it for so long. She did a good enough job choosing something for me."

"...Yeah." It was now Fox who watched the cars driving by. "She always does." Hearing about Krystal reminded him of his history with her and, by extension, his current feelings - feelings he'd rather wish away than have to deal with.

"Explain."

Fox shook himself from his thoughts and looked back towards his guest. "Huh?"

"You can't tell me that sigh meant nothing."

The vulpine blinked confusedly in response. He hadn't even noticed that he'd sighed.

"What's your history with her, anyways?" Wolf continued.

Fox eyed him suspiciously. "Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious." The lupine took another bite. "Conversation is less awkward than silence."

The vulpine paused for a moment, deciding that Wolf was right. He sighed. "We met through the Saurian crisis. Her psychic abilities made her valuable, and she got along well with the team, so we hired her."

"When was that?"

"About two years ago."

"Huh." Wolf continued while Fox took another bite of his own sandwich. "She's certainly valuable. You two seem to get along well."

"It's hard not to when she can read your mind."

"Still. Despite that, you clearly have a strong connection with her."

Fox guffawed. "Tell that to her. She'd beg to differ."

Wolf raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why's that?"

The vulpine wondered if he should disclose anything more to Wolf. After all, he'd never told anyone else about where he stood with Krystal, so why should he tell him?

"It's a long story."

"I've got time."

The lupine didn't seem to have any ill intentions; he simply seemed curious. Strangely enough, Fox felt more comfortable sharing with Wolf than he did with any of his teammates.

"I dunno. Krystal and I get along really well. We know each other better than anyone else." He fiddled with the comm on his wrist. "But...I guess I've never really been comfortable sharing my thoughts so openly...and..."

"And she's not comfortable until she knows everybody's."

Fox looked up. "Yeah." It was a brutal but accurate assessment. "And it's not like I even have a chance of hiding mine, y'know?" He continued, tracing a circle on the table absentmindedly, as Wolf took another bite. "Every once in a while I just wonder how things would be if she couldn't read my mind."

Wolf stopped chewing. "Yeah?" he grunted through a full mouth.

"It would level the playing field a little. I'd actually be able to keep secrets, for once. Not like I've got any, but it'd be nice to have that freedom nonetheless."

 _Liar._

The lupine swallowed. "It's not all it's cracked up to be."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, it's not all it's cracked up to be."

Fox eyed him suspiciously. " _What_ isn't?"

"Not letting a psychic read your mind."

"As if it were possible." The vulpine paused for a moment. Wolf didn't continue.

 _Wait._

"...is it?"

The lupine simply took another bite of his sandwich and continued to look at Fox through his sunglasses, not a hint of expression on his face. Fox was putting the pieces together.

"It can't be."

"It's possible."

"I don't believe you." He was now absolutely sure Wolf was lying; the idea that someone could mentally blockade themselves from a psychic was simply preposterous.

"When have I lied to you, McCloud?"

"Fox."

Wolf blinked confusedly. "Huh?"

"Call me Fox. Not so painfully formal."

He paused for a moment, stoic as ever. "...Okay...Fox." It sounded forced and awkward, but a small part of the vulpine enjoyed hearing his own name in Wolf's gruff voice.

"Think about how Krystal acted around me," he continued. "Did you ever notice anything weird in her behavior? Any confusion? Any blank stares, heavy concentration, that sort of thing?"

The vulpine hadn't dwelled on it at the time, but upon further reflection he realized how strangely she'd carried herself when the lupine was in the room.

"...Yeah..."

"A psychic can gather thoughts from everybody. They grow up with it. It's like a sixth sense to them. Now, imagine if someone suddenly showed up, and they couldn't be read. It'd drive any psychic crazy, wouldn't it? No matter how hard they'd try, they wouldn't be able to get a read on this person."

Fox was starting to believe him, and a wave of something between awe and unease washed over him. "You're telling me that you're immune to Krystal's telepathy?"

"Yes."

"...You're joking, right?"

"I'm not a liar."

The vulpine paused for another moment while he processed what he'd just heard. Wolf took another bite of his sandwich, seemingly bored with the whole situation.

After some time, Fox found his words again. "How the hell...?"

"Andross."

"... _How_ , though? What made you-"

"I'd rather not discuss it right now." The lupine's tone was slightly harder.

Fox was too preoccupied to notice. "Can it be taught? Can I learn it?"

Wolf stopped chewing. He eyed Fox, chewed twice more, then swallowed. "I dunno. I've never tried."

"Give it a shot, eh?" Fox didn't notice the reluctance in his guest's voice; he was too determined to learn how to block his inner thoughts from Krystal - especially now that they were becoming rather...unusual.

"...Later," Wolf replied after some time. The shadows from the nearby trees had grown even further, now creeping towards the table. The traffic on the streets had begun to lose some of its intensity; it was less frantic and more relaxed than it had been earlier. The time to leave was approaching quickly.

"So when are you going to let me go, huh?" Wolf asked, as if he'd read Fox's mind.

"Depends on when you don't want to tag along anymore."

Wolf popped the last bit of his sandwich into his mouth. "I've got nowhere to be. It all depends on when you get tired of me."

"I'm not going to play this game. Do you want to leave?"

"Do _you_ want me to leave?" Wolf shot back.

"I asked first."

He sighed, rolling his eyes. "Do you think I'm trying to escape, Fox?"

"Huh?"

"Do you really, honestly think I have anything better to do right now than to follow you around? You might be insufferable, and apparently not very bright either, but at least you're not boring. You're better than whatever the hell the alternative is."

Fox didn't know how to respond to Wolf's complisult. "I...what? I'm flattered, I think."

"Don't be. I'm just telling it like it is."

"You always do."

"Not true." Before Fox could ask for further explanation the lupine looked him straight in the eye and continued in a more serious tone. "Your turn now. Do you want me to leave?"

Fox froze, looking back into the violet iris. There was a mischievous shimmer to it like he'd never seen before.

In all honesty, it was...

 _Irresistible?_

He could barely handle it. Watching the swirling, purple iris left his heart pounding. All he wanted was to continue staring into it.

 _No._ This wasn't right. This wasn't Fox. This was just nerves. And whatever he did, whatever it took, he wouldn't let it get the best of him. And if that meant reluctantly breaking eye contact with the all-too-handsome individual sitting across from him, so be it.

 _Stop it! He's not handsome! You're just confusing adrenaline with attraction._

Eventually, Fox spoke again. "Not particularly."

A moment of silence. One could only wonder what was going through Wolf's mind.

"What makes this place your favorite sandwich shop, anyways?" The lupine continued, as if the previous minute and a half had never happened.

"I'd go here all the time as a kid."

"With J-...your dad?"

 _James held Fox's hand as he opened the door to the shop and led the young kit through the doorway. The door closed with its signature click as the two made their way to the front desk. Fox was barely tall enough to see the man behind the counter, who cheerfully greeted the two long-time customers._

"Yeah."

"Mmh." Wolf paused for a moment, as if deciding whether or not to continue. Eventually, he decided he would. "What was it like?"

Fox looked at him strangely. "What was what like?"

"Being so close to your father."

The vulpine didn't quite know how to respond. "Uh...good? That's kind of a weird question."

"Is it? I'm just curious."

"I'd rather not talk about it." There was a tone of finality to his voice.

If Wolf was disappointed, he didn't show it. "Save it for later, eh?"

 _But what is 'later?'_

Fox paused. "I guess." The two sat in silence once more. Both had finished their sandwiches long ago, leaving but two crumpled balls of trash in their wake. The vulpine continued to trace circles in the wood of the table, acutely aware of Wolf's stare from out of the corner of his eye.

 _Why the hell is he looking at me like that?_ It didn't irritate him; he was just baffled. Flustered, even. In all honesty, he enjoyed the attention, even if it made the fur on the back of his neck stand on end.

"Well," Wolf grunted, picking up the ball of trash in front of him. "What's your plan now?"

"I'm going to be staying on the surface for at least another day. I might just head to my apartment and relax a bit."

"Apartment?" Wolf raised an eyebrow. "You live in the city?"

"Of course."

"Like, _in_ the city?"

"Yes...?"

"Huh." The lupine tossed the crumpled wrapper between his hands. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised you can afford it."

"It's pretty small. Not much more than a place to crash, really. Cuts down on rent, especially since I don't use it much anyways."

"And here I was thinking you had some sort of mansion with servants and caviar."

"How much do I actually show my wealth?" Fox asked the question with a little more force than he'd intended.

"Honestly?" Wolf caught the trash and held it in his hand. "Not much."

"Good." Something that had always bothered Fox was the plethora of people at any given time who disliked him purely for his social and financial status. "I try not to."

"Commendable." The lupine stood up, grabbing both balls of trash. "Well then, I suppose it's not an issue for me to stick around for a bit longer, is it?"

A trace of alarm poked at Fox's mind. Something within him registered that Wolf was acting a little strange. It wasn't ordinary to _want_ to spend time with one's nemesis. There could have easily been an ulterior motive to all of this.

Falco's words echoed in his mind quietly. _Who's to say he won't kill you when he has the perfect opportunity?_

But if he wanted to, he would've already done it. Right?

Not necessarily. Aboard the Great Fox, there'd been other team members who could've neutralized Wolf if he'd tried to lay a hand on Fox. In the city, there were civilians nearby who'd call the police if he made a scene. But alone in Fox's home? If the lupine had been planning on killing him, there'd be no better opportunity to finally get it over with.

Despite the risk, Fox was reluctant to decline. It was quickly becoming a personal challenge of his to overcome the nerves he was feeling, and he'd never get a chance to reach his goal if the two parted ways now.

 _You're out of your damn mind, Fox!_ Falco's voice was now shouting as loudly as it could to make itself heard among...what? His heart beating against his chest like a bird beating its wings? The nerves in his hands, buzzing like angry bees?

Falco's voice didn't shout loudly enough.

"Sure. I guess you can tag along." Wolf's ears perked subtly as Fox spoke the words. Maybe he was making a mistake by letting his guest stay for so long, but Fox couldn't resist having him stay for just a little longer. He was finally beginning to understand the enigma that was Wolf O'Donnell; he couldn't simply abandon the puzzle with only a handful of its pieces in place.

"Splendid." Wolf exclaimed nonchalantly. "You all set?"

Only time would tell if the completed puzzle was something he actually wanted to see.

"...Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Noooo! I fell behind schedule! Well, I'd just like to say it wasn't entirely my fault - the last month and a half or so have been...eventful, to say the least. Being stuck in a hurricane of classwork hasn't helped much, either. But worry not! I'm not going to give up on this story, no matter how slowly I make progress.

This was definitely a slice-of-life type of chapter, admittedly somewhat similar to Chapter 10. Nothing fantastic or epic, just two anthropomorphic space animals making their way around the city. I wanted to make sure I could develop Fox and Wolf as thoroughly as possible so their future interactions will be more meaningful and impactful upon the reader.

So, Fox has finally accepted his feelings...kind of. He still hasn't quite accepted what he's feeling, or why he's feeling it, even if he knows deep down. Poor thing. In fact, both characters use a lot of excuses to continue spending time with each other without outright saying that they just want to spend time with each other (when Wolf says Fox is "better than whatever the hell the alternative is," and when Fox decides it's "better than slipping back into the depressingly-comfortable life he'd molded for himself over all these years"). However, admissions start to appear, especially for Wolf ("Okay fine, I admit that your disguise worked. Okay fine, I admit that this sandwich place is alright. Okay fine, I admit that I still want to stick around..."). I bet the two are going to admit bigger and bigger things as the story goes on.

This chapter was an interesting exercise in selectivity. On one hand, I wanted to describe the city in intense detail; I wanted to give it life and vigor through extensive descriptions and evocative imagery. On the other hand, I know that one of my weaknesses is getting sidetracked from the main plot, and so I made a conscious effort to streamline what I did and didn't include in order to make sure the story didn't get too drawn out. How did I do? Is there anything you wanted me to describe further, or anything else you think I could have skimmed over? Let me know!

I chose to reference the "birds and the bees" right before Fox lets Wolf stick around at the end. I bet you can figure out why.

Also, I wanted to thank everybody for their wonderful reviews and specifically for their feedback regarding the future of the story. What I've decided to do is write two versions of the next chapter - one that's more family-friendly, and one that's decidedly less so - and let the reader decide which version they'd like to read. Both will start and end at the same place, and neither will have any important plot details that aren't also included in the other version, so this way I can satisfy as many people as possible.

So yeah! Please let me know how I did, especially in regards to what I chose to focus on and what I chose to skip. Thanks for being patient. I can't say for sure when the next chapter will be out, but like I said - I'm not going to stop writing this until it's done. I promise.

-Gibrish (Gerlakus)

(P.S. Don't mind the name change...I just needed something different from my musician name. It's pronounced kind of like "gibberish.")


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

"Well, here we are."

Fox unlocked the door, opened it gently, and led his guest in. Wolf surveyed the small apartment, from the narrow kitchen on his left to the modest living room on his right. Straight ahead was a hallway with two doors - one leading to a bathroom, and the other to a bedroom.

"You really weren't kidding about how small it was." Wherever Wolf had been expecting a celebrity like Fox to own property, it clearly wasn't somewhere like this.

"Like I said, it's plenty for me." Fox stepped into the apartment himself and closed the door behind the two of them. "I don't need anything fancy."

"You and me both. Fancy was never my thing."

"Didn't think so." The vulpine hung his jacket on the rack near the door, almost surprised by how tidy his own home was. He would always make sure to leave it spotless whenever he left to embark on missions, but the last time that had happened was...how long had it been? Perhaps 3 months, at the very least. Having slept in his mess of a room aboard the Great Fox for so long, he'd almost grown accustomed to clutter; returning to such a neat and orderly apartment was a harsh reminder of how far he'd fallen since he'd last been here.

"So what's the plan, eh?" Wolf had hopped onto the couch in the living room and was flipping through the channels on the television.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, how do you usually entertain your guests?"

The vulpine pondered the question as he approached the living room himself. "I don't know. I don't really invite people over."

Wolf gave him a confused look. "Really?"

Fox raised his hands in defense. "I'm usually out and about on missions; I don't have time for guests. And besides - being social is draining."

The lupine paused for a moment, thinking. "Yeah, alright. Unexpected, but fair."

"How so?"

"I assumed you'd be more...I dunno."

"More what?"

Wolf scratched his head awkwardly. "I just had this notion that you were a social butterfly."

"Are you kidding?" Fox snorted. "Social interaction terrifies me."

The lupine smirked. "Huh. You could've fooled me."

"Good. I like to think I put on a convincing show for the cameras."

"Mmh," Wolf grunted in response. The two sat in silence for a while. Fox suddenly felt uneasy watching his guest, who continued to flip through the channels aimlessly. As he thought it over, he felt a pang of worry as he began to realize the weight of Falco's warning - maybe Wolf _was_ trying to take Fox by surprise so he could finally kill him once and for all. The lupine was focusing on the TV just a little too intently for it to be genuine interest in whatever was playing; it felt more like he was thinking deeply about something he'd much rather conceal from Fox.

Another wave of unease fluttered through him. He couldn't stay here with Wolf and risk letting the unthinkable happen.

"Hmph." Wolf's sudden interjection nearly made Fox jump. "Nothing good on TV." He turned the screen off and tossed the remote onto the coffee table, turning to face Fox. "Well, then. What do you want to do?"

The vulpine froze. "Uh..."

"Because I have an idea." The lupine stood and began to approach Fox. There was a mischievous glimmer in his eye as he continued. "But it may be a little crazy."

Adrenaline began to course through Fox's veins. _This is it. He's going to do it._ He could feel his fur stand on end and the blood rush to his head in anticipation of the imminent danger.

"Let's go to a bar."

They both froze, an uncomfortable silence following. It took Fox a moment to realize what had just been said, and another moment to realize that he himself was the one who'd uttered the words - not Wolf. He didn't even mean to say it; he was simply trying to think of something that would get them both out of his apartment and out of danger.

Given the lupine's sudden deflation, he wasn't expecting such a response either. "...A bar?"

Fox nodded.

"Didn't you _just_ say that you hate social interaction?"

"Well, yeah..." He couldn't backtrack now; this would be his only chance to escape the apartment. "...I meant, I hate social interaction when the spotlight's on me. When I'm disguised? It's a great time."

The lupine was skeptical. "And 'under a spotlight' is your usual situation, isn't it?"

Fox nodded again.

After some time, Wolf's expression softened and he took a step back. "I can understand, I guess." He smoothed his fur as he continued. "Ironic that you can only truly feel like yourself when you're in disguise." What Wolf had said wasn't something Fox had considered before, but enough adrenaline was still coursing through his veins that he didn't quite grasp the profound observation. Regardless, the true irony was that the lupine was imparting such wisdom only as a result of Fox lying to prevent his own murder.

"Well, anyways," he continued. "Where would you recommend?"

Fox hesitated. "Uh...I...don't know. I don't really go to bars."

The lupine raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right?" He continued in a higher pitch and through his nose - no doubt doing his best impression of Fox. " _Let's go to a bar, Wolf. I hate being social, and I don't really go to bars, but we should totally go to one anyways._ "

"I don't sound like that at all!" Fox whined, indeed sounding very much like that. "I only suggested it 'cause it would be something to do instead of sitting around here and..."

"...And?"

"I don't know!" He pouted. "I'm apparently not a very fun person, according to you."

Wolf waved his hand in dismissal. "Not a huge deal. That can be changed."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means we're going to get out of here, scout out some bars, and have some fun. And you're paying."

Fox wanted to protest, even after realizing that Wolf was proposing exactly what had been initially requested. The vulpine eventually nodded in affirmation; they needed to get out of the apartment and back into public.

"And!" Wolf continued forcefully. "You've got to buy me some better clothes, too. I can't go to a bar in... _this_." He pulled at his khakis in disgust; for a brief moment, they conformed to his figure more tightly than usual, and Fox saw the distinct outline of...

 _Focus._

He stared intently at the ground beneath his feet, ridding himself of such thoughts as he continued. "Yeah okay, that's fair." He needed all the time he could to figure out how to best address Wolf's plan to kill him. The longer he could keep the two of them out and about, the better.

 _But are you really that worried about him killing you?_

Sure, Fox was anxious, but he wasn't being nearly as cautious as he should have been. If he truly wanted to be safe, he'd have thrown Wolf out at the first signs of suspicious behavior. He noticed, with mild surprise, that he seemed to be secretly enjoying the rush that came with the uncertainty of his fate; he craved the adrenaline that accompanied the interactions with such a dangerous character. It wasn't until he'd started spending time with his adversary that he'd begun to realize how safe loneliness was and, more importantly, how lonely safety was.

That said, he still needed to watch his back. He could continue this game, so long as he wasn't completely vulnerable to surprises.

"Then let's go." The lupine stood up and moved towards the door, beckoning for Fox to join him.

 _What are you getting yourself into?_

The question seemed to hold less and less weight the more he asked it. He grabbed his jacket and met Wolf at the door. "This should be interesting," he commented as he slipped his arms through the sleeves.

Wolf grinned. "You're in for a surprise, pup."

* * *

"Really? _Here_?"

The bar towered before the two of them forebodingly. Even from the street, Fox could hear muffled sounds of commotion from within the building.

"Got any other bars in mind, McCloud?"

"I already told you. Don't call me McCloud."

"Right - let me try again. Any other bars in mind, Mr. 'Space Fox'?"

"...Not funny."

 _The Space Fox_ , the sign echoed in a dull orange glow above them. Next to the name was a crude depiction of a fox wearing green pants, a white pilot's jacket, and a red bandanna around his neck.

"What? You should be flattered."

"Are you kidding? I hate this kind of crap."

Wolf raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Fox rolled his eyes, preparing to rant. ' _Come celebrate your victories!_ ', the neon letters read in a cheerful, rounded font; the conspicuously-familiar fox on the sign was apparently following its directions, carrying both a mug of beer in his hand and a stupid grin on his face.

"It happens all the time," he began, gesturing sharply as he continued. "Some sleazy business always has to capitalize on my image as a hero by using my face everywhere." He kicked a can down the street angrily. "Oh, but I can't be mad, cause that fox up there _obviously_ isn't Fox McCloud. It's 'The Space Fox'. Totally different. How could I mix the two up?"

"C'mon pup. It's not that big of a deal-"

"And that's the worst part!" Fox barked. "Everybody tells me to just get over it already. But you know what? It's hard to do that when everywhere I look there's another company capitalizing on my identity. Look, I don't expect you to understand. Nobody does." A dozen troublesome thoughts ran through his head at once as he continued to glare at the sign in front of _The Space Fox_. Time and time again, he was disgusted by the things his image was twisted into for advertising purposes, and this was certainly no exception.

"You know what? You're right." Wolf's tone became cold. "I really don't understand what it's like to be adored by all of Lylat and then somehow still find a way to bitch about it."

Fox's eyes shot towards Wolf angrily, about to retaliate, when he stopped in his tracks. His stomach dropped as he made the realization that Wolf was seeing, once again, how society worshiped the vulpine as a larger-than-life hero, as an icon of skill and bravery. That wasn't even the worst of it, though; it was a painful reminder that, somewhere in an alternate universe, the name of the bar before them might have been _The Space Wolf_ instead. Had things gone differently, had the lupine won just one more dogfight all those years ago, it could have been him on that sign - grasping a mug of beer triumphantly, adored by all of Lylat - and maybe the unwelcome villain would have been Fox McCloud.

Not only that, but now Wolf had to stand here and listen to him complain yet again about how much better his life was than those of everyone else.

The vulpine took a deep breath, clenching and unclenching his fists in an attempt to calm himself, then dropped his head to the ground in shame. "Sorry."

"Don't be. Just remember to play devil's advocate every once in a while, eh?" Before Fox could even respond, Wolf walked inside and dissolved into the crowd beyond the doorway.

The vulpine glanced at the sign one last time; it was as if the jovial Space Fox was taunting him. As if he was asking, ' _why aren't you happy with all your fame like I am?_ '

Fox wished he knew the answer. He so desperately wished he knew how to be satisfied with his situation. Every so often he wondered if it would simply be easier to give up his life as a hero - if he'd rather just live as a nobody on the outskirts of the Lylat system for the rest of his days.

He shook his head. _Stop being ridiculous._ It was just as foolish as saying he'd rather live Wolf's life of infamy than his own of fame. Nobody in their right mind would.

He gathered himself up, took a deep breath, and began to head inside, glancing at the bar's sign one last time.

"I don't even like beer."

* * *

"This beer's amazing!"

Fox laughed cheerfully as he took another swig from the mug in his hand. The building was filled to the brim with Cornerians yelling, laughing, and having a great time. Fox was no exception; this would be his third drink of the night - another recommendation from Wolf, who sat in the dimly-lit booth across from him in the far corner of the bar.

"It's not a beer this time," Wolf replied, trying not to laugh. "But I'm glad you like cider, I guess."

A blank expression came over Fox as he processed the news. "Oh." The expression quickly dissolved into a grin and a giggle. "Well, it's good." He took another swig; the fruity concoction was not unlike apple juice, but with a thin edge to the taste - as if the apples had been ever-so-slightly rotten before being harvested. All in all, it was far better than the two beers the lupine had chosen for him previously.

"You clearly don't drink much, do you?" Wolf eyed him amusedly.

"What, is it really that obvious?" Fox's question was only half-sarcastic, since Wolf really wasn't wrong; the vulpine had only drank a handful of times before, and never more than one or two drinks on any given occasion.

"You didn't even know what cider tasted like?"

"Well I do now. 'Delicious' is what it tastes like." He took another sizable gulp from the mug.

Wolf grinned. "You'd better take it slow, or I'm gonna have to catch up to you."

"Shouldn't be an unfamiliar feeling, catching up to me." Fox's smirk immediately gave way to shock as he realized what he'd just said. "I didn't mean-"

Wolf interrupted him with a condescending pat on the back; it was slightly more forceful than expected. "At least I'm not worshiping a bitch drink like you are."

Fox wriggled out of Wolf's hold. "Hey now! This cider's awesome, okay?"

"So? Still a bitch drink."

"Oh yeah? Then what's _your_ favorite drink, Mr. Tough-Guy-Drink-Drinker?"

He held his glass mug up to the light above. "This beer here. "

"Besides beer."

He answered without hesitation. "Then gin and tonic."

Fox raised an eyebrow. "Gin, huh? Never had it before. All I've ever tried is...vodka and whiskey, I think. And...maybe tequila? I don't remember. It was gross, though."

Wolf chuckled, teeth glinting in the light. "I can't believe it. You're so innocent."

"I prefer the term 'responsible,' thank you very much." Fox took another sip of his cider, which was now almost half empty. "It's not like I get many chances to drink when I'm on missions, anyway."

"Suit yourself. Drinking can be fun in the right circumstances. For example, when it's on somebody else's dime." Wolf grinned. "Which is why I'm going to go take another shot of gin."

Fox grabbed him by the arm before he could stand up. "Hold up. 'Another' shot? Looks like maybe _I'm_ the one who needs to catch up."

Both figuratively and literally, Wolf looked down on him. "You think you can? Cute."

"Try me."

He continued to study Fox, no doubt gauging the validity of the vulpine's insistence. After some time, he rolled his eye and sighed. "Fine. But you'd better keep track of how many drinks you've downed. I'm not gonna let you go around puking for the rest of the night."

"Relax. I'm only at two." Fox gulped the rest of the cider down and exhaled contentedly. "Er, three."

Wolf smirked. "Then let's go." He began to make his way towards the bar, beckoning for Fox to follow. The vulpine complied, following further behind. He was mildly surprised to catch himself watching Wolf's tail swish back and forth as the two of them weaved through the crowd. Had he been sober he would've scolded himself for ogling Wolf from behind, but in his current state he was less concerned. It was as if his mind was a jagged chunk of wood and the alcohol was a fine-grained sandpaper, gently filing down the sharp edges of his anxious tendencies.

 _Still, though. Stay vigilant._

Wolf turned towards him, as if to speak; Fox's eyes shot up from the lupine's tail to his face just in time. "I wonder why you couldn't have chosen a cool outfit like this for me when we were getting dinner earlier," he quipped. Before heading to the bar, the two of them had gone back to Closet Corneria and gotten Wolf a wardrobe more suitable for nightlife. Form-fitting jeans, a muscle shirt, sunglasses, and combat boots - all black, and all Fox's choice.

"Because I like seeing you suffer. Duh." The vulpine was still wearing the same sharp, urban outfit as before, with an added beanie for additional anonymity. He was getting better at participating in the lupine's verbal sparring as an equal, likely as a result of spending so much time around him.

Wolf scoffed. "Right. I should have known."

Of course, the alcohol probably helped too.

The two of them arrived at the bar and sat down. Wolf placed a hefty sum of cash - Fox's cash - on the table in front of the bartender. The leopard studied the tip, raised an eyebrow, then addressed the two of them.

"Back so soon, eh? What happened to that cider?" He asked as he wiped a mug with a rag.

"My buddy gulped it down already." Wolf cocked his head towards Fox, who grinned sheepishly. "We'd like two shots of gin, when you get a chance."

Glancing at the tip once more, the leopard nodded. "Let me just finish washing this mug, then they'll be coming right up." He scooped the cash towards him and put it in his pocket before continuing his chore.

Wolf turned to Fox. "You ever taken a shot before?"

"Of course. Duh."

"You ever had one without a chaser?"

"...I don't think so."

Wolf grinned. "Then this should be fun to watch."

Fox smacked the lupine's shoulder jokingly. "Shut up. I'll take it like a champ."

"We'll see about that. It's pretty gross. You'll probably...make the face you're making right now, actually."

The vulpine's sour expression wasn't towards the thought of a shot with no chaser; his attention had been drawn somewhere over Wolf's shoulder instead. "Uh oh," he uttered.

"What?"

Through the crowd, Fox thought he'd seen a flash of blue feathers. His fears were confirmed as he spotted the owner of said feathers making his way towards the bar; the avian laughed and chatted with everyone along the way, entirely unaware of the surprise he was about to encounter.

Wolf turned to see the object of Fox's concern and growled. "I should have known."

"Play it cool," the vulpine urged; the words were just as much for Wolf as they were for himself. What would Falco think if he saw the two of them together? Would he be suspicious?

 _Of what?_ There was no reason for him to be suspicious. Fox could say he was simply giving Wolf a chance to experience the city in a way he'd never done before. Because that's exactly what was happening - as soon as they'd finished sightseeing, he'd send Wolf on his way, and the two would resume their separate lives as if the last few days had never happened. But would Falco believe that?

 _I'm doubtful I even believe it myself._

"Fox?"

The vulpine was planning to act surprised by Falco's appearance, but the surprise was entirely genuine as he was yanked from his thoughts. "Oh! Hey, Falco!"

"Since when do you go to bars?" He chuckled, before noticing Fox's unexpected guest from behind. "And who's...?"

Wolf swiveled the stool around to face Falco. "Fancy seeing you here, Lombardi."

The avian was quick to conceal his surprise with a scowl. " _You._ "

Fox's heartbeat accelerated as he felt the imminent tension. "Guys-"

"So you're not done being a nuisance to our team, are you?" Falco interrupted, before turning towards the vulpine. "Fox, What the hell did I tell you? You need to watch your back. This guy's-"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm dangerous. I'm a lunatic. Whatever." Wolf rolled his eye, and Falco's focus pulled back onto him as he continued. "That's always your story, isn't it? You should try being more original."

The avian narrowed his eyes. "Why else would you be trailing Fox like you are?"

"You're really dead set on that whole 'I want to kill him' thing, huh?" Wolf launched from the stool and swept behind the vulpine, holding him at mock gunpoint. Fox jumped at the unexpected touch, his heart aflutter. "If I wanted to kill McCloud, I would've done it already." The lupine's breath was hot against Fox's ear, a faint trace of his favorite beer making its way to his nostrils; the citrus overtones caused the fur on the vulpine's back to stand on end.

Falco took a frenzied step towards the two of them, whipped a pistol out of his jacket, and locked it on Wolf's eye. Fox gasped, freezing in place.

" _Hands off my friend._ " The bird's voice dripped with hostility.

"Falco!" Fox exclaimed.

Wolf seemed unfazed. He casually let go of Fox and stood up, the barrel of Falco's gun following him the entire time. "See, the problem with that threat of yours..." He took a step towards the avian. "...is that you made some assumptions."

Falco remained in place. "Oh yeah? Like what?"

"Well, first of all..." Wolf took another step. "...you assumed that I want revenge. I don't." He scoffed. "I'd much rather have my adversary pay for my dinner, a change of clothes, and a night at an upscale bar."

Falco eyed Fox, eyes narrowed in confusion. "You paid for _what_?"

"C'mon, Falco. We wrecked his ship. It's the least I could do."

"We wouldn't have wrecked his ship if he didn't shoot at us in the first-"

"The second assumption you made," Wolf interrupted, "was perhaps a little more understandable, but was still naïve nonetheless."

Falco's eyes locked onto his target once more. "Oh yeah? Spit it out, then." By now Wolf was within arm's reach of Falco. The avian put both hands on his pistol as Wolf moved to approach him further. "Get any closer to me and I'll blow your fucking brains out, pal."

Fox was paralyzed in his seat, his heart trying to escape his rib cage. All he could do was watch as his best friend played a dangerous game of chicken against his former nemesis mere steps away.

Wolf disregarded Falco's advice and took another slow step towards the pistol, staring directly into the avian's eyes the entire time. The barrel was now pushing against Wolf's forehead. "You assumed that I care enough about my life to feel threatened by the thought of someone ending it."

Falco's expression wavered slightly. "You're a whack-job."

"An experienced whack-job, if nothing else. I've had enough guns to my head that I can tell whether their owners actually intend to pull the trigger..." Wolf slowly reached towards the pistol, gently pushed it away from his forehead, and aimed it towards the floor instead. "...or if they're just bluffing because they want to intimidate me."

Falco's eyes darted left and right, but he was surprised to find that no other bargoers had even noticed their altercation. He pocketed his blaster with a scowl, eyes returning to Wolf. "Don't think because I didn't pull the trigger here that I wouldn't kill you when I get the chance."

"You think I can change your mind on the matter?"

Falco laughed breathily. "I'd like to see you try."

"Then..." The lupine didn't finish his sentence, instead sniffing the air for a moment. "No way."

Falco's expression went from hostility to confusion. "Huh?"

The lupine laughed. "Your breath. Correct me if I'm wrong..." Wolf sniffed the air again. "But why the hell are you drinking Ventura raspberry stout?"

Falco's stammered for a moment, immediately becoming defensive. "W-what? Shut up! It's better than everybody says." The avian narrowed his eyes. "Wait - how the hell did _you_ know what Ventura smells like?"

Wolf smirked, grabbing his own mug from the bar and raising it so Falco could see it clearly. "Because it's a damn good beer, that's why."

The expression on Falco's face was the strangest mixture of surprise and reluctant excitement. "You drink Ventura? Everybody else thinks raspberries are weird in a beer, but I like the kick the citrus gives." He grabbed his own mug. "It kind of cuts through it, y'know?"

Fox continued to sit on the sidelines, hardly able to believe the absurd turn of events. "What the actual f-"

"Definitely. I hated it the first time I tried it, but it grew on me quickly."

"Same for me! It's got such a complex taste..." The two continued to geek out about beer, Fox trying desperately to follow along; it was like hearing a different language, every other word being jargon specific to the world of alcoholic beverages. He noticed a slurred word here and there from both conversationalists; had Falco been sober, it's likely he wouldn't have been so receptive to such a strangely-timed discovery.

And Wolf wouldn't have even smelled the beer on Falco's breath in the first place.

"Sir?"

Fox swiveled towards the bartender. "Ah!"

The leopard held a bottle of gin in one hand and two shot glasses in the other. "Get your friend's attention for me, why don't ya?" he asked politely.

Fox complied; he gently kicked at Wolf from his bar stool. "Yo, shots are here."

The lupine paused his discussion and turned around. "Oh! Perfect." He moved towards the adjacent seat.

"Shots, huh?" Falco laughed. "What's gotten into you, Fox?"

"Let's just say this is all a first for me," Fox responded with a crooked smile.

"Lombardi." Wolf's voice caught Falco's attention. "We've ordered two shots. We'll make it three, if you'd like to join us."

The bird opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated for a lengthy moment, no doubt analyzing the situation at hand. "I mean..." He looked towards Fox for confirmation. At that very moment the vulpine wanted nothing more than for Falco and Wolf to get along, and inviting Falco to hang out with them would be the perfect opportunity for such an event to occur.

Plus, if Wolf really _did_ have any ill intentions, it would be good to have some backup in case things took a dangerous turn.

Fox's expression must have adequately conveyed his volition, because after some time Falco grinned. "Eh, what the hell. Sure, I'll join you guys."

Fox pounded his fist in mock triumph. "Aww yeah."

"Bartender! One more, please."

"Coming right up." The leopard grabbed one more glass and poured it to the same level as the other two. Wolf picked up the first two glasses and handed one to Fox.

"This is gonna be fun."

Falco took the third glass, nudging Fox. "Not gonna lie, I'm looking forward to seeing you get plastered."

"Yeah, yeah. You both do. But I don't want to get too carried away, alright?" He'd heard far too many stories about folks who'd made regretful decisions at the mercy of alcohol's influence. He certainly didn't want any embarrassments of his own to surface in the morning.

"No promises there, pal." Falco laughed, as did Wolf. Fox was still getting used to the idea of the two of them in the same room not actively preparing to blast each other's' brains out.

"Well, without further ado..." Wolf raised his glass; Falco and Fox did the same. The three clinked their cups together in an unlikely gesture of camaraderie between an unlikely trio of mercenaries. If recent events were any indication, there was no telling what other surprises would come their way over the course of the night.

"Bottoms up."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Long time no see, huh? You'll be delighted to know I haven't died, if this chapter was any indication. This past semester of classes was rough, but I pulled through with satisfactory grades; I'm hoping next semester won't be so bothersome and I'll have more time to write, but who knows? *shrug* No promises. I tried my best to respond to every review and private message, but if I missed you I am deeply sorry! I promise I wasn't trying to ignore you. If your message/review went unanswered, nag me and I promise to get around to responding.

This chapter was originally going to be longer. I wrote out a lot of the events after the three took their shots, but the most recent file became corrupted! Luckily I sent my boyfriend a draft of this chapter earlier this month, and was able to start from there. If not, I don't know where I'd be right now...probably retracing my steps and trying to recover a month's worth of work, at best. I figured it would be better to post a shorter chapter now than to keep you guys waiting any longer.

Anyways, let's get on with the author's notes. As Wolf just said: "without further ado..."

Fox has begun to recognize some strange feelings, but he's doing everything he can to attribute them to survival instincts, not...other instincts. He's still convincing himself that the butterflies in his stomach and his nervous episodes are all due to his subconscious telling him he's in danger. I threw in some phrases here and there that could be considered euphemistic in order to further blur this line. For example, when Fox could feel "the blood rush to his head in anticipation of the imminent danger," do we _really_ know which 'head' that was? Heheheh. Regardless, it's clear that Fox is still masking his feelings, even if it's becoming more and more apparent that they aren't danger signs.

It seems that the alcohol has lowered not only Fox's guard, but his inhibitions as well. He's not scolding himself so strongly for his actions (like when he ogles Wolf from behind while they go get shots), and the environment has allowed the two to become more physical than usual (Wolf patting Fox's back as he playfully wriggles out of his hold, the mock 'hostage' situation when Falco appears, Fox nudging Wolf with his foot to tell him the shots were ready, etc.). All in all, the two are clearly becoming more comfortable around each other as time goes on and drinks are drunk.

What appeared to be a worrisome situation between Falco and Wolf turned out far better than expected. The main theme of this story is appearance versus reality, and the unexpected results when one gets 'close' enough to something or someone, whether literal or figurative. By approaching Falco, Wolf was able to close the physical distance between him and the bird. This allowed him to smell the Ventura raspberry stout on Falco's breath and thus find a common thread between the two and close the figurative distance, too. Had Wolf not stepped towards Falco, the two would likely still be on opposite sides, and their ongoing feud would have continued. Much of the future plot will continue to rely on the notion of getting closer to something and dispelling preconceived notions about it.

As a side note, 'Ventura' is somewhat of an inside joke. When visiting my boyfriend earlier this year, we drove through a city called Ventura and decided that 'Ventura' totally sounded like it belonged in the Star Fox universe. So, we both decided to use the name in our respective Star Fox stories. Ridiculous, I know, but c'mon - it totally does sound like a planet that would be in the Lylat System, right? Right?

Anyways, that's plenty of commentary for one chapter. Thank you for reading this far. And as always, thank you guys for being patient and continuing to support me despite my untimely update schedule.

Until next time!  
-Gibrish

(P.S.: if/when I decide to write any adult chapters, I'll likely post them to another site. More details in the future.)


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

"Already?" Fox fumbled for his comm with his free hand, almost dropping it. Almost dropping it twice. _01:47_ , he read with some difficulty.

"Time flies," Wolf replied. "'Specially when you're drinking your ass off like that."

"Oh, c'mon. I'm not _that_ drunk."

"How many have you had?"

Fox opened his mouth to respond, but he couldn't remember. "...8? I think?" Ever since that first shot with Falco and Wolf, the night had blazed by in a blur of alcohol, dancing, and socializing. "Maybe 9. I dunno." He took another sizable gulp of his cocktail.

The lupine facepalmed; the action would have been more convincingly demeaning if it hadn't been accompanied by a chuckle. "How about you finish your drink then let's get out of here, pup?"

"...Yeah, okay." Fox stuffed his comm back in his pocket. "It's getting pretty late, I guess."

"For us, maybe. Not for Falco, though - seems like he parties 'til morning light. Let's see what he's up to before we head out." Wolf beckoned for the vulpine to follow him through the crowd, no doubt to track the bird down. Once again, Fox couldn't help but watch Wolf's tail swish back and forth as he moved - the bushy, white-and-gray appendage waved more energetically than ever before. It was like a hypnotist's pendulum, swinging from side to side, captivating Fox and causing familiar-but-unwelcome feelings to bubble up inside of him, despite all his wishes otherwise. The lupine's black jeans complimented his equally-black muscle shirt, showing off the strong curvature of his figure as he wove through the dancing masses. With every sip of his drink, Fox was becoming less and less convinced that his feelings were strictly adrenaline.

 _Cut it out. You're better than this._

Had he been sober, the guilt and shame would have certainly overwhelmed him. In his inebriated state, however, he couldn't think straight. Straight?

 _Ha._ He sure as hell wasn't feeling straight. But maybe he was...?

 _Nope. Nuh-uh._ He pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He wouldn't even let himself think of the word.

 _There's no way..._

Wolf caught up with Falco and patted him on the back, his arm looking especially muscular as the light caught it at a new angle.

 _...that Fox McCloud..._

As usual, there was an unruly tuft of white fur sticking out from beneath the lupine's shirt. And, as usual, Fox had been stealing glances at it all night.

 _...is attracted to..._

The lupine turned around and flashed a devilish grin to Fox, who all but melted in place at the unexpected action.

 _...oh dear._

"You alright, pal?"

Fox blinked. "...What? Yeah. Yes."

Falco eyed him bemusedly. "Maybe you've had a little too much to drink, eh?"

The vulpine was quick to recover, narrowing his eyes in mock annoyance. "Sounds like you need a little _more_ to drink, featherface."

"That's the plan, pal. The night is young." Falco took another swig from his beer. The raspberry citrus scent on his breath was stronger than ever. "And yet I hear you and Wolf are heading out. Sounds like you're all tuckered out and need nap time, eh?"

"Whatever, bird." The lupine smirked. "We aren't all crazy party animals like you."

"Crazy? I prefer 'fun,' thank you very much."

"Well it's definitely a fun kind of crazy, I'll give you that."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Falco paused for a moment. He took a breath, hesitated again, but eventually continued. "Yo, Wolf...you know...I was wrong about you. You're an alright guy."

Wolf smirked. "Hey, I feel the same about you. I shouldn't have been so quick to judge. And even if you really were an asshole I still wouldn't hate you, 'cause us Ventura drinkers gotta stick together no matter what."

"Heh," Falco took another sip of his stout. "You can say that again."

"Anyways..." Wolf held his hand out. "I hope this isn't the last time we meet."

Falco barely even hesitated to hold out his own. "Me too." The two shook hands resolutely. "Until next time, pal."

"What, no special goodbye for me?" Fox chimed in jokingly.

"You don't get a special goodbye. I see you all the time."

"Rude."

"Suck it up, ya big baby."

Fox gave Falco the best puppy eyes he could muster. "Ruuude."

"Pfft." Falco rolled his eyes and punched the vulpine on the shoulder, then approached him and gave him a brotherly hug. "For real though, I'm really glad you guys came out tonight. I had a ton of fun."

"Me too." The vulpine couldn't help but grin like a madman as he studied his surroundings. "Who would've thought I'd enjoy the bar scene so much?"

"Well you surprised me, that's for sure." Falco finished his beer and glanced towards the bar. "I guess I'll see you whenever Peppy says we gotta go back in orbit?"

"Yeah. Shouldn't be more than a few days."

"Sounds good. Well, I'm gonna get some more beer. Got a whole lotta partying ahead of me."

"Have fun. See ya." The three parted ways - Fox and Wolf towards the exit, and Falco towards the bar for another round.

* * *

"Man, it's so good to be back outside."

The two were strolling along the sidewalk, stumbling more-than-occasionally and chatting as they headed back to Fox's apartment. Though this time of year began to get uncomfortably cold at night, the crisp Cornerian air was a refreshing change from the hot, stifling atmosphere of _The Space Fox_.

Fox took a deep breath and sighed contentedly. "I've been all across the system, but Corneria is still my favorite place of all."

"Didn't you ever feel like moving away, though? Being born and raised here?"

"For a while, yeah. Back in the academy days. But who didn't? The grass is always greener and all that."

"So, what made you stay?"

Fox kicked a can down the sidewalk absentmindedly. "I don't know. I guess I just have too many memories of this place to leave it."

"Mmh," Wolf replied flatly. "Fair, I guess." The two walked in silence. Fox realized he actually knew very little about Wolf's past, and decided he wanted to change that.

"Where's home for you, then? Where were you born?"

The lupine chuckled. "Two questions with two completely different answers." He stumbled over a crack in the sidewalk and almost fell to the ground, but ended up falling into Fox instead. The vulpine's heart skipped a beat at the sudden contact as he held the lupine in his arms, wondering how any one individual could be so deceivingly heavy.

"You alright?" Fox did his best to mask not only how much he was struggling to hold up Wolf's weight, but also how much he secretly enjoyed the unexpected interaction.

Wolf eventually regained his balance and continued. "I'm fine. Anyways - born here on Corneria, actually. Lived in the outskirts of the city. Pretty comfortable life, for the most part."

"For the most part?"

"For the most part."

The vulpine paused. "...are you going to elaborate on that?"

"I'd rather not."

"Look..." Fox patted him on the shoulder. "I think we're drunk enough to divulge secrets."

"You mean, _you're_ drunk enough to divulge secrets."

"You're the one who tripped over literally nothing just a minute ago."

"Pfft. Whatever." The two continued onward in silence, occasionally brushing up against each other in their tipsy waltz towards Fox's apartment. The streets were less frantic at night, but they were never dead; it was as if each road were an artery, each car a droplet of blood, and the city itself a living, breathing being that slept at night and woke in the morning just like everybody else.

 _Just like everybody else._

Oh, how Fox longed to live like everybody else. How he longed to live as an ordinary civilian instead of as a celebrity. If he could trade it all...

 _No._ He glanced over at Wolf, who hiccuped and focused on the ground. _You don't want that. Nobody does._

"Alright, fine." Wolf spoke up, grabbing Fox's attention again. "I'll tell you more. But only a little. And you have to tell me something in return."

"Sounds good to me." It wasn't Fox's intention to goad any further information out of Wolf, but he'd take any opportunity he could to learn about the lupine's mysterious past.

"Well, I lived with my father. It was just the two of us. Don't know where my mom went. My father never told me. And like I said, we had a pretty comfortable life. But one day, the Cornerian Defense Force came by without warning. Arrested my father for a crime he didn't commit."

"A crime? What was it? And how do you know he didn't do it?"

"Because I witnessed it firsthand." Wolf took a deep breath. "A late-night alleyway murder. And the official who broke into our house to arrest my father? He's the one who actually killed the guy."

Fox caught his breath. "Oh, geez." He realized that he was perhaps biting off more than he could chew, but Wolf continued all the same.

"I had no idea why he was on bad terms with the government. I still don't. I couldn't tell you where he is now, or if he's even still alive in the first place. But ever since then I've promised myself that whatever it takes, I'll find my answers some day."

"Damn." Fox had suspected Wolf's upbringing was rough, but he hadn't imagined any of the details.

"Too much?"

"No, no," The vulpine emphatically shook his head. "I...want to hear whatever you're willing to share."

"Well tonight's your lucky night, pup, 'cause I'm too drunk to hold anything back."

The comment inexplicably roused the butterflies in Fox's stomach. He was tempted to call the lupine out for accusing him of being too drunk mere moments ago, but decided it wasn't worth possibly dashing his chances to learn more. "Fine by me."

"So, I was 18 at the time," Wolf continued. "The CDF tried to put me under their custody - said something like it's the safest place for me, or some other sugar-coated bullshit - but I'd be damned if I was going to trust a word they said after they'd framed my father like they did. So, I ran away. They didn't like that."

Fox wondered whether or not it would be best to stop the conversation right then and there; what Wolf was sharing was far more personal than the vulpine had expected.

But if Wolf didn't want to share any more, he was doing a pretty bad job of cutting himself off. "First, they sent social services. When I continued to run, they started sending the CDF. Soon enough I found signs on street corners. 'Wanted: Wolf O'Donnell.' But the signs never said why they wanted me. Because they wanted to frame me as an accomplice? Because they knew that I'd seen the true nature of the murder and they feared that I'd tell the world? Why would they care? Who the hell would believe me?" Wolf took a breath. He was speaking fast enough that his lips couldn't keep up with his mind, slurring the occasional word in his haste. "It's always bothered me that, even after all these years, I still have no idea why they want me so bad. It's one of the answers upon answers I've been looking for."

Fox didn't know what to say. He wasn't even sure if he believed such a far-fetched tale in the first place. He exhaled uncomfortably, hoping the lupine would break the awkward silence and continue. Fox had never imagined himself learning Wolf's life story like this - on a drunken stroll back to his apartment on a chilly autumn night in the city. In fact, he'd never imagined himself even learning Wolf's life story at all.

And yet here he was, infatuated by the lupine's every word. Everything Wolf said was so unexpected, so interesting, so _alluring_. The closer Fox got to the lupine, the more he realized just how wrong his preconceived notions were. It seemed the more pieces he put together, the more jumbled the puzzle became.

Would he ever put it all together?

"I bet you've figured out..." Wolf hiccuped. "...why I hate the CDF so much."

"I mean, yeah." Fox scratched his ear. "But...I dunno. I've associated myself with the CDF ever since I was a kit, thanks to my dad's work. And they would never do something like that. I just can't believe they would."

"Yeah, well. Neither could I, and then they did." Wolf stopped, pulling a preoccupied Fox back to his senses. "Isn't this the place?"

"Wha-? Oh yeah, huh." The apartment complex stood before them, quiet and resolute.

The lupine chuckled. "How drunk _are_ you, pup?"

"Shut up." It wasn't the first time Wolf's navigational skills had surprised Fox - first aboard the Great Fox, and now while the two drunkenly walked home to his place.

"Well, let's get inside. It's pretty cold out here."

Fox nodded, noticing that his ears were numb. The two entered the building, trudged up the stairwell, and crossed the hallway to his door.

"So what exactly came of that whole situation, huh?" The vulpine fumbled for his keys and unlocked the apartment. "Running away from the CDF and all that?"

"A job with Andross." Wolf entered the room at Fox's invitation, the vulpine himself following close behind.

"Oh? How was that?"

"Interesting, at least."

"...how so?"

Wolf turned around to face Fox. "I think I've divulged enough for the time being. Your turn."

Fox blinked in surprise. "I mean...yeah, okay." He had no right to be disappointed; Wolf had already shared far more than either of them had expected. And besides - Fox had already agreed to share something in return.

 _But what?_ He had almost forgotten how their conversation had even started.

"Ah, right. Home." He cleared his throat. "I, uh...was born here in the city. Lived with my dad. Mom was out of the picture. Died in childbirth."

"Huh," Wolf interjected. "That's what they said about mine, too."

"Oh?"

The lupine waved his hand dismissively. "Anyways. Continue."

"...well, it was a pretty comfortable life, if not typical. Had to learn to live somewhat on my own from an early age, given how often dad was away. Other than that, no complaints."

"Until..."

"Yeah." Fox seated himself on the couch opposite of Wolf. "That was...a wakeup call."

"I bet."

"Learning of his death was...I dunno. The moment I was forced into true adulthood, I guess. You can have a job, pay bills, retire, whatever - but I feel like you haven't truly grown up until you experience a loss like that."

"Ain't that the truth," Wolf commented softly.

"Anyways. Sorry. I'm being a downer."

"You're fine," the lupine replied. "I bet it was good to get it off your chest."

"...Yeah, actually." It was. In fact, it was surprisingly cathartic; finally having someone to talk to about these kinds of things was nice. The vulpine had never felt comfortable sharing this kind of information with Falco or Slippy, and Krystal certainly knew regardless of whether or not he told her.

He began to realize just how similar he was to Wolf, in many surprising ways. He glanced over at the lupine on the other couch, who was eyeing the floor and fidgeting absentmindedly. It was pretty cute, actually.

 _No..._

As the night had gone on, each repetition of "no" in his mind had become quieter, less emphatic, than the previous. If he weren't so cripplingly afraid of the ramifications, he'd have hugged Wolf right then and there. He didn't know what the hell was happening to him, but he was learning to accept his feelings ever-so-slowly, now that he'd more or less given up on suppressing them.

 _Man, it's a good thing Krystal's not here._

Which reminded him...

"Hey, Wolf."

The lupine's ears perked at the mention of his name, and he eyed Fox curiously. "Huh?"

"You said you'd teach me about that mental blockade, yeah?"

He paused, perhaps for a moment too long. "I don't remember what I said."

"Well, you should definitely teach me."

Wolf continued to study him, a trace of skepticism in his voice. "You really think so?" His expression softened. "Right now?"

"I need to learn how to block my thoughts from Krystal," he responded. "Unless you want her to pick up on all the stuff you just told me." He realized that as soon as he went back to the Great Fox, his secrets - and Wolf's - would be spilled to the Cerinian immediately. And it was the perfect excuse, really; he wasn't going to admit how desperate he had become, but he could definitely emphasize Wolf's new stake in the matter instead. Whatever the motivation, however, Fox needed to learn how to hide his feelings from Krystal. Nobody could know.

Nobody. Except, maybe...

 _Nuh-uh. Not gonna happen._ He wasn't going to tell Wolf about...that. After all this work to get to know him, Fox couldn't just throw it all away by scaring him off.

"Well," Wolf responded, grabbing the vulpine's attention again. "Okay. I guess that's a valid reason. If you _really_ want to try to learn while you're drunk, then go ahead."

"Who knows?" Fox grinned. "Maybe it'll help."

"...Wishful thinking. But we'll see." Wolf cocked his head, as if confused.

"So, how exactly did you start learning your blockade?" Fox asked, oblivious to the gesture.

Wolf quickly resumed his normal demeanor. "Andross. I didn't want him to know what I was thinking, so I started learning to hide my feelings - first externally, then internally."

"What do you mean?"

"If you want to guard yourself from psychics, you need to start by guarding yourself from everyone else. What does that mean? It means visibly concealing your emotions. Don't let people see. Don't let them read your face, your body language, your interactions with others. Just block it all off."

Fox eyed him suspiciously. "That doesn't sounds very healthy."

"I never said it was."

"...Fair enough."

"Anyways," Wolf continued, standing up from the couch. "You need to find a strong memory, the strongest memory you've got, and learn not to let its emotions overtake you."

Fox stood up in turn. "A 'strong' memory?"

"One that fills you with emotion, good or bad. Doesn't matter, so long as there's a lot of it." Wolf took a step closer to Fox. "Generally whatever you feel most strongly about." He took another step. "The idea is that if you can learn to conceal the upper bound of your most powerful feelings, then you'll have no trouble concealing everything else."

The vulpine pondered for a moment. "Okay." He tried to conjure up emotional memories as Wolf took another covert step forward. He thought about his most thrilling mercenary missions - the combat, the elation of being in an Arwing, the adrenaline rush that came with dogfights. The dogfight with Wolf. Wolf was a really good pilot. Astoundingly good, even.

 _Focus..._

He cleared his head and tried again. He remembered fond childhood memories with his father. He thought about the sandwich joint where the two of them used to go every time his father was in town. The sandwich joint where he took Wolf earlier that evening. He was wearing those khakis...

 _Stop it already._

Every thought in Fox's head was eventually overtaken by those of a certain lupine, who had stepped dangerously close to him while he'd been preoccupied. No matter how hard he tried, Fox just couldn't get him off his mind.

"Having trouble?" Wolf smirked.

"Shut up. Give me a second." Fox closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

 _Conceal._

He let his mind calm itself for a moment before opening his eyes again, ready to start again. He was greeted by a Wolf who had taken another stealthy step forward while Fox wasn't looking.

"Agh! Stop that!"

"You aren't so good at this, are you?" The lupine snickered. "Not gonna lie, I'm having fun seeing you trip up."

"You aren't making this very easy."

"And neither will anyone else. You need to learn to be stoic in the face of anything, and I mean _anything_. You're gonna thank me later for throwing you off."

Fox focused on his feet and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration, ready to give it one more shot. Wolf was mere centimeters from his face, grinning like a madman for all his mischief. Fox could smell the Ventura on his rival's breath; he'd never been so close to the lupine. In all honesty, it was electrifying.

 _Calm down. Just calm down..._

He tried to still his heart, tried to focus on his thoughts, but he didn't have the willpower. He couldn't help but look up towards Wolf and his smug expression. He focused on the lupine's eye, noting the stunning detail in his violet iris.

A sudden flashback came to Fox - the strange dream after the Fichina incident. _The skies were a deep and haunting violet, lingering over a dark ocean that spanned as far as the eye could see._

Wolf continued to smirk at him, no doubt pleased that the vulpine was having so much trouble handling his thoughts; Fox himself was too taken aback by the flashback to notice the imperceptible change in Wolf's expression as he continued his gaze.

 _Fox lay down in the boat, studying the beauty of the purple sky above him one last time. The walls of the eye surrounded him on all sides except upward; it was as if he were looking into a violet light at the end of a silvery-gray tunnel._

He knew he needed to stop looking at Wolf - for fear of awkwardness, at the very least. If he were sober, he may very well have had the willpower to tear his gaze away, play it off as nothing, and continue learning his psychic blockade. But as it stood now, adrenaline and alcohol coursed through his veins equally, and the result was utter defenselessness. Wolf was so very stunning, and Fox couldn't for the life of him stop indulging in this moment, whatever the consequences.

A thought popped into Fox's head. A dangerous thought.

 _No._

Fox subconsciously shot a glance down towards Wolf's cocky grin, then right back at his eye. It was for but a millisecond, and nobody would have been able to notice Fox's subtlety. Or at least, nobody who wasn't already staring right back at him and watching his focus as it dipped down momentarily. Belonging in such a category, Wolf saw what happened and raised an eyebrow.

 _What the hell are you doing, Fox!?_

The rational part of his mind was but a mouse squeaking beneath the roaring river of hormones and adrenaline; there was absolutely no way he could use rationality to combat his feelings in such a state. It was like being on one of the rollercoasters at the Cornerian festival - when he was at the top of the chain lift, awestruck by the sheer height of the coaster. No matter what he did, regardless of whether or not he'd changed his mind about going on the ride in the first place, he was destined to plummet down the tracks; the only question was when.

Wolf's words echoed through his mind. _"You're gonna thank me later for throwing you off."_

But what if Fox was the one who ended up throwing Wolf off first?

 _No, no, no no no..._

He subconsciously flicked his eyes towards the lupine's mouth again, but this time there wasn't a grin; it had been replaced by a confused half-frown.

 _Stop it stop it stop it STOP IT!_

Fox decided that, in the moment, he didn't care about concealing his emotions. He wanted Wolf to know how he felt, and he was about to make that very clear. He leaned forward, ever so slightly, and Wolf's hesitant expression flashed with surprise.

 _NO-_

Before he could stop himself, Fox closed the distance between the two; Wolf lowered his head towards Fox's and continued to stare at him apprehensively, no doubt realizing what was to come. Fox raised his head to meet the lupine's, closed his eyes gently, and let their lips meet in a kiss.

For a moment, there was deafening silence in the apartment - as if the two were passing through the eye of a storm.

A moment later, a torrent of shock and guilt abruptly pulled Fox away. Shame poured through him as he began to realize the gravity of what he'd just done. These feelings were supposed to be his alone until he died. Not only had he just ruined his plans of secrecy, but he'd just ruined any hopes of a normal friendship with the lupine as well.

Fox turned his back to Wolf, going into full damage control mode. "I...I'm sorry," he stammered shakily. "I-I didn't mean to make-"

He was interrupted by hands gripping his shoulders, spinning him back around, and something unexpectedly smothering him. It was Wolf's lips. The lupine had gone in for another kiss.

 _Oh my g-_

Fox couldn't even finish his thought. He placed his hands on Wolf's shoulders and continued where he'd left off, a giddy warmth spreading from his chest throughout his body. A thousand thoughts zipped through his mind like bullets in a battlefield. _He's kissing me back. Is this real? Are we really that drunk? He's kissing me back. This is so exciting. He's kissing me back._

The first thing he noticed was just how different it felt to make out with Wolf. There was a certain intensity to it - a certain ruggedness that he'd never experienced with girls. Not only was Wolf's muzzle larger and more angular than those of previous vixen companions, but his fur was also significantly thicker and held a masculine, musky scent to it.

The second thing he noticed was just how wonderful it felt to even be making out with Wolf in the first place. Embracing the lupine, grasping his solid shoulders and his powerful arms, his musky scent entering Fox's nostrils, the citrus stout on his muzzle as he explored the vulpine's lips - it was jubilation unlike anything he'd ever experienced before.

Their embrace became tighter as they began to swap tongues. Fox was practically vibrating with every emotion he could identify, and with quite a few that he couldn't. Never in his life did he imagine he'd be in such a situation, and under such improbable circumstances.

Wolf pulled away briefly, exhaling deeply. "I was _not_ expecting that."

Fox smirked. "Bet you didn't think I was going to...what was it? Throw you off?"

"...Shut up." Fox did as he was told, and went in for another kiss. The lupine obliged, his hands sliding up Fox's arms and to his shoulders. Fox dragged his fingers across the black tank top covering Wolf's back, exploring the contours of his dorsal musculature through the fabric. He had never touched a man this way, let alone a man with such an incredible physique.

 _I can't believe this is happening._

Wolf's grip migrated ever-so-subtly from Fox's shoulders to his lower back, and then even further down. The vulpine exhaled deeply, shuddering at the unexpected venture around his tail. Wolf's move gave Fox permission to explore further along the lupine's body, too; he clumsily slid his hands from Wolf's back to the white fur of his firm chest, only barely covered by his clothing. Fox's envy of his rival's build was completely overshadowed - if not strengthened - by pure infatuation. He couldn't think clearly enough to plan what would happen next. Not like he wanted to; he couldn't care less about anything or anyone that wasn't actively groping him at that very moment.

Wolf gently pushed Fox against the wall as primal instinct continued its reign. Fox ran his hands across Wolf's defined midsection as Wolf continued to do the same to Fox's. The lupine stumbled as he adjusted to the new position, his pelvis briefly bumping into Fox's leg; for a moment, Fox felt something delightfully solid beneath Wolf's black jeans.

The contact made the vulpine notice the tightness in his own pants as well, though it had been present for quite a while by now. In any ordinary circumstances this would have been considered problematic, but these were far from ordinary circumstances; the heat of the moment didn't afford him the capacity to feel even remotely ashamed of his arousal. He began to make one more pass down Wolf's chest, but even slower than before; he traced the outline of Wolf's rigid pectorals, slowly moving across his abdomen to his navel. The vulpine slipped his hand underneath the black tank top and felt around once more with newfound excitement, his fingers now combing through Wolf's dense fur. Feeling the lupine's midsection expand and contract with every shaky breath, Fox pulled the shirt high enough to expose a thin trail of white fur which only thickened as it continued downward below Wolf's waist. In that very moment, Fox had never wanted anything as badly as he wanted what lay beneath those jeans.

The lupine gently wrapped his hand around Fox's wrist, halting his exploration. "Hold up."

"Huh?" Fox looked up towards Wolf's face, confused. "What's wrong?" His mind sloshed with alcohol as he swam through the possibilities. Was Wolf going to change his mind? Was he going to say it wasn't a good idea? that he made a mistake, that he should leave Fox right here before any-

"Nothing." Wolf chuckled. "I just figure this is the kind of thing best done on a bed." He cocked his head towards the open door at the end of the hallway.

Fox nearly sighed in relief, but instead only let a nervous giggle escape. "Oh. Okay. Yeah, good idea." He began to make his way towards the bedroom, grabbing Wolf's hand and leading him there as well. He couldn't tell which was causing his difficulty walking - the alcohol, or the tightness in his pants. Likely both, he concluded.

 _Is this really about to happen?_

The question kept crossing Fox's mind, but the answer remained the same.

 _If it happens, it happens._

He and Wolf were...they were actually about to...

His alcohol-induced stupor made it difficult for him to fathom what he and Wolf were about to do. Drunk or sober, it was difficult to fathom what was even happening at that very moment. He had never been intimate with another man, let alone with his career-long nemesis, and let alone in such surprising and unexpected circumstances. Regardless, whatever he was about to do with Wolf felt...

 _Alluring._

That was one way to describe it. It was certainly a new experience for him.

 _Arousing?_

That too. In fact, mostly that.

Even in his inebriated state, Fox realized that what happened that night would dictate the entirety of their future friendship. He also decided, right then and there, with Wolf's hand in his own, that it was a risk he was willing to take.

Fox entered the bedroom, led Wolf in, and shut the door behind them. It wasn't just the door to the bedroom that he'd closed, but more importantly the door that led to a chapter of his life to which he could no longer return.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Well.

Where do I even begin? I'll start off by apologizing profusely to you all for my radio silence. If I could summarize everything crazy that happened to me this semester, I would, but...actually, you know what? I'll give it a shot. Here's the abridged version of My2017LifeSoFar (I'd put a trademark symbol in there, but FFN didn't seem to like it), in mostly chronological order:

Broke up with boyfriend. We don't talk, but no hard feelings on my end.

Turned 21. Spent it in Mormontown, Utah, so no bars.

Won awards for my a cappella arrangements in said Religiousville, Utah. They're hanging on my bedroom wall.

Car crash. I've thought about death a lot recently.

Grandfather died. Dad was stoic as usual.

Let some wonderful new people into my life. I love them a lot.

Made some good money arranging for another a cappella group a few hours from my university. They auditioned for America's Got Talent - fingers crossed my music makes it to TV on or after May 30th.

Traveling to Portland for a week this month. Have been obsessively researching the Pacific Northwest ever since I booked my flight.

Drugs.

My very first paid/official soundtrack will be coming out later this month with the release of the game for which I've written it. What even is life.

Possibly getting a programming internship with the company for whom I currently write music. What even is life x 2.

Next week is finals week. Talked my way from an A- to an A in my archaeology class.

This has been My2017LifeSoFar (trademark) - hope you guys enjoyed. No, but for real, this semester has been absolutely _un_ real in so many ways. Some of the craziest happenings of my life have occurred - some good and some decidedly less so - and I honestly wouldn't want it any other way. Things are starting to fall into place more than ever before, and I'm finally starting to feel like I can actually offer something to this world. Like I'm useful for once, I guess.

Anyways, enough of my ramblings. I'm really glad I could blow the layer of dust off of this account and off of this story, and I hope you guys are okay with the unforgivably-untimely update. If I forgot to reply to your PM, please nag me and I'll give you a proper response! The support for this story thus far has been overwhelming and I can't even begin to express my gratitude. Okay, that's enough. Onto the actual notes!

So...FOX AND WOLF GOT SOME ACTION. GOOD. I can practically hear you all screeching "FINALLY" in unison. And I bet some of you are probably also saying, "...that's all?" If you fall into the latter category then fear not! I actually wrote a bit further than where I cut the chapter off, but I didn't want to get this story removed. So, I think I'll be posting the more adult sections to my Fur Affinity account sometime this month. I'll post an update here whenever that happens.

This chapter and the previous one were practically soaking with suggestive language and teases, some more blatant than others. For example, when Wolf _accidentally_ trips and falls into Fox. Or when he tells Fox "tonight's [his] lucky night, pup." Or when he's teaching Fox the psychic blockade but we all know that was totally just an excuse to get uncomfortably close to Fox, right?

Speaking of getting uncomfortably close, something something metaphor where getting closer = knowing better. In this case, getting closer = oops we're kissing now! Now how did _that_ happen?

One reader said something that stuck in my mind. They said that the way I write Fox is atypical - giving him a whiney voice, making him mope a lot, giving him issues with empathy before spending significant amounts of time with Wolf - and I guess I'd have to agree. Most people don't seem to write the hero of Lylat as the socially anxious, unsure, somewhat-broken individual I seem to be portraying him as. Given that my story is all about Fox discovering who he truly is and his journey to weathering his personal storms, I feel like it's only fitting that he's a young, naive, and often frightened individual. I mean, can you imagine the kind of pressure he'd be under? He was approximately 16 years old when he had to fill his father's shoes as leader of Star Fox, and only 18 when he had to act as hero of Lylat. I think plenty of us can relate to him, but I'd be surprised if any of us envied his situation, because he certainly doesn't.

Anyways, I feel like this author's note is spiraling out of control, so I'll try to reel things back in. Long story short, some really monumental things happened in this chapter. Much of the resulting plot will center around the results of Fox and Wolf's newly-discovered interests in each other.

And again...thank you guys so, so much for dealing with my untimeliness. When I started this fic, I promised myself that I would never give up on it, and that I would see it through to the end. I still plan to do exactly that. I would have never imagined that anybody would care to read 50,000 words of my literary garbage (or that I would even write that many words of literary garbage in the first place!), but I cannot express my gratitude for your continued support.

I hope you've all had a wonderful year so far, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I can't wait to get started on the next.

Much love,

Gibrish


End file.
